"Let’s return the bison to our nature!" ecological summer camp – Gabala
On 27–29 June, an environmental summer camp titled “Let’s Return Bison to Our Nature!” was held within the youth education and development component of the “Reintroduction of Bison in Azerbaijan” program, launched on the initiative of Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and founder and head of the IDEA Public Union.
The camp was organized by the IDEA Public Union, the Youth Foundation of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republican Children and Youth Development Center of the Ministry of Education, and the Azerbaijan Office of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), with the support of the Gabala District Executive Authority. Nearly 60 students from the Gabala district joined the camp.
The main goal of the “Let’s Return Bison to Our Nature!” summer camp is to inform young people about the reintroduced bison and the importance of their protection, to educate them on environmental matters from school age, and to foster a sense of appreciation and care for nature.
On the first day of the camp, the students took part in presentations about the lifestyle of bison, the history of their settlement in our country, the areas where they spread and their role in nature, as well as the efforts made to return this rare species to our environment. They also joined training sessions on the factors leading to the decline of the bison population, as well as various ecological competitions and entertaining biodiversity quizzes.
On the second day of the camp, a trip to Shahdag National Park was organized for the participants. There, the students became acquainted with the rich biological diversity of the National Park and had the opportunity to observe the bison brought to Azerbaijan as part of the reintroduction program. They received information about the bison successfully adapted after being brought to our country, as well as the stages and achievements of the project. In addition, the children took part in training sessions on identifying animal tracks and plant species, preparing maps of the area, organizing shelter sites in the forest and safety rules, and identifying plant and animal species in the territory. On the final day of the camp, role-playing games were held between teams, and discussions were organized on the use of ecosystem services by various social groups and attitudes towards the protection of rare animals. At the end, participants received certificates and souvenir gifts.
It should be noted that within the program on the reintroduction of Caucasian bison into Azerbaijan’s nature, the IDEA Public Union, together with its project partners — the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and the WWF Azerbaijan Office — carries out extensive conservation and educational activities. Within the framework of the project, 12 bison were brought from Europe to the Ismayilli section of Shahdag National Park in May 2019, and another 5 bison were introduced into nature in 2020. The observation of natural population growth among the bison brought to our country indicates that their adaptation period has been successfully completed.
Environmental and biodiversity-themed camps initiated by the IDEA Public Union have been held annually on a regular basis since 2014. These camps are organized in regions where the relevant fauna species reside and for students living in those areas. Nearly 600 students have taken part in the three-day summer camps held in previous years in the Masalli, Lerik, Salyan, Gakh, Gabala, and Ismayilli districts.
