"Let's protect leopards!" ecological summer camp
On June 20–22, within the framework of the “Conservation of Caucasian Leopards” project, the next ecological summer camp titled “Let’s Protect Leopards!” was held, organized by the IDEA Public Union, the Youth Foundation of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the Azerbaijan Representative Office of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), with the support of the Lerik District Executive Authority. The camp, attended by nearly 60 schoolchildren from the villages of Hamarmeşə, Günəşli, Qosmalian, Çayrud, Vistən, Nuravud, and others of the Lerik district, was held in the village of Qosmalian in the Lerik district.
The main purpose of the “Let’s Protect Leopards!” summer camp is to inform young people living near the natural habitats of the Caucasian leopard about this rare species and to promote its conservation, to educate them about environmental issues from school age, and to foster a sense of appreciation and care for nature.
On the first day of the camp, participants received extensive information about the lifestyle of leopards, their distribution areas, and their role in nature, took part in seminars on the conservation of this rare species, attended a presentation on the reasons for the decline in the leopard population, as well as participated in various ecological research activities and competitions, and biodiversity knowledge contests.
On the second day of the camp, excursions were organized for the participants to the Zuvand State Nature Reserve, as well as to the Günəşli waterfall. During the excursion, children took part in a clean-up campaign and collected and sorted waste. Afterwards, the young participants joined practical activities related to identifying animal tracks and plant species.
On the third day of the camp, schoolchildren were shown the documentary film “The World’s Most Wanted Leopard,” filmed by nature photographer and director Adrian Stern. Afterwards, an ecological game titled “Let’s Protect Leopards” was held. During the game, participants were divided into teams and tried to find ways to save leopards from illegal hunting.
At the end of the camp, participants were presented with certificates and souvenir gifts.
It should be noted that the “Conservation of Caucasian Leopards” project is implemented within the framework of joint cooperation between the IDEA Public Union, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the WWF Azerbaijan Representative Office. Although the project is aimed at the restoration and conservation of the Caucasian leopard population, one of its main directions is also to increase public awareness. For this purpose, such summer camps organized for schoolchildren are of great importance.
On the initiative of the IDEA Public Union, camps on environmental protection and biodiversity have been organized on a regular basis every year since 2014. During this period, a total of nearly 400 schoolchildren from the districts of Salyan, Neftçala, Goranboy, Samux, Qakh, Sheki, Masallı, Jalilabad, Yardımlı, Lankaran, Astara, Goygol, and Lerik have participated in the camps.
