International Day of Biodiversity (May 22) focused this year on sustainable development. This special day of the environmental calendar was celebrated with 9-year school students in Selenica. About 50 students in the age group of 13-15 years participated in the activity organized as part of the “Save the blue heart of Europe” campaign.
From the beginning the interaction between the students and us was very good. Through presentations with different photos from the flora and fauna of the Vjosa valley, we aimed to explain the meaning of the word bidiversity and at the same time raise awareness by sharing with them information on the rich biodiversity of this area. Knowing the values of biodiversity they can learn the concept of sustainable development.
Very little is known about the biodiversity of the Vjosa River and it is not addressed at all specifically in the school curriculum. For this reason, we organized this informative and educational activity with the students of Selenica. The purpose of this activity was to raise awareness about the rich biodiversity of this area and to influence through the students their parents and friends. The best way to emphasize the importance of biodiversity is by giving examples of how species are related to habitat and people. We used short films to show the special role each species has in ecosystems and how they are related to humans.
The last game that was developed was the vertical poem of the word biodiversity and the students had to find as many words and concepts from nature and the environment for each letter of this word. The students were very enthusiastic and found many words for each letter and some of the words found were names of plant and animal species of the Vjosa valley. This game was one of the best indicators to measure the impact of this activity and the knowledge they received.
Together with the volunteers we enabled a joyful day, full of motivation and positive energy. The students were very active and participated in all parts from the presentation to the games developed. We were thrilled by their keen interest and level of knowledge about the flora and fauna of their area. To be admired is the fact that they are aware of their role as important actors for the future of the environment where they live.
By Besjana Guri/ EcoAlbania
