"Let's Return the Bison to Our Nature!" ecological summer camp 2019
From 3–5 July, within the framework of the “Reintroduction of Bison in Azerbaijan” programme, the next ecological summer camp titled “Let’s Return the Bison to Our Nature!” was held with the organization of IDEA Public Union, the Youth Foundation of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the Azerbaijan office of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and with the support of the Ismayilli District Executive Authority. Nearly 60 schoolchildren from the villages of Talistan, Tircan, Keyvəndi, Cülyan and others of the Ismayilli district took part in the camp.
The main purpose of the “Let’s Return the Bison to Our Nature!” summer camp is to inform young people about the reintroduced bison and the importance of their protection, to educate them in the field of the environment from school age, and to cultivate a sense of appreciation and care for nature.
On the first day of the camp, participants received extensive information about the lifestyle of bison, the areas where they were reintroduced, and their role in nature, attended seminars on the reintroduction project implemented to return this rare species to our environment, and took part in various ecological research activities and competitions.
On the second day of the camp, an excursion was organized for the participants to Shahdag National Park, the largest national park in Azerbaijan. During the excursion, the children learned about the rich biodiversity of the National Park, got acquainted with the special complex created within the territory of Shahdag National Park to ensure the safe adaptation period of the bison, observed the bison reintroduced to our country in May, and received information about this species. On the third day of the camp, an excursion to Lake Nohur was organized for the schoolchildren.
At the end of the camp, certificates and souvenir gifts were presented to the participants.
IDEA Public Union carries out extensive conservation and educational activities together with its project partners — the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and the WWF Azerbaijan Office — regarding the reintroduction of Caucasian bison into Azerbaijan’s nature. It should be noted that within the framework of the project, 12 animals of the Caucasian bison species — the wild cattle that once became extinct in our country — were brought to Azerbaijan in May from zoos in France and Belgium. A special area was created for them in the Ismayilli section of Shahdag National Park. After spending some time in this area for adaptation, the animals will be released into nature. It is planned to bring another 8 bison to our country this year. Although the project focuses on returning bison to our nature, one of its main directions is increasing public awareness. For this purpose, such summer camps organized for schoolchildren play an important role.
With the initiative of IDEA Public Union, camps on the topics of environment and biodiversity have been organized annually on a regular basis since 2014. During this period, more than 500 schoolchildren from the districts of Ismayilli, Salyan, Neftchala, Goranboy, Samukh, Gakh, Shaki, Masalli, Jalilabad, Yardimli, Lankaran, Astara, Goygol, Lerik, and Lankaran have participated in these camps.
