Summer camp inspires young outdoor enthusiasts

This July, educational camps were organized in the rewilding landscapes of the Danube Delta and the Southern Carpathians in Romania. A variety of fun activities, coupled with unforgettable wildlife encounters, immersed the children in nature and made them understand rewilding and its benefits.

Inspiring and supporting young people to join the burgeoning rewilding movement is vital to the future health of the planet.

Mihaela Jim

Inspiring a generation to return to nature

Inspire and help young people join The booming rewilding movement It is essential to the future health of the planet. Exposing children to nature is not only beneficial to their health and development, it also helps to raise a generation of ecologically conscious people who value and understand the importance of protecting and restoring natural habitats and are willing to participate in nature restoration. Build engagement Engaging with people of all ages is a core component of all rewilding efforts.

In order to immerse children in nature and educate them about the benefits of rewilding, the European Rewilding Association recently Danube Delta and Southern Carpathians The students who took part enjoyed the wide range of activities and gave very positive feedback on their experiences.

Students who attended the camp enjoyed a wide variety of activities and were very positive about their experience.

Paula Bora

Cross-border connection with nature

In early July, the five-day “Danube Delta Rewilding Camp” – organized by Rewilding Ukraine and Rewilding Romania – welcomed 30 enthusiastic secondary school students from the local community. The camp took place in the picturesque village of Jurilovca on the Romanian side of the delta.

The aim of the summer camp is to reconnect the children with nature and give them a better understanding and appreciation of rewilding. The camp brought together students from three countries with a unique Danube Delta landscape, with groups from the communities of Virkove and Borodino in Ukraine, Slobozia Mare in the Republic of Moldova and Yurilovka in Romania participating. Teachers from each country accompanied the children to learn knowledge and provide inspiration for future educational activities.

“Encouraging and helping local children to live in harmony with nature is very important for the long-term conservation of the Danube Delta and other natural areas,” said Kateryna Kurakina, communications officer at Rewilding Europe, which coordinated the camp. “When children grow up, they will only want to protect what they love. It is great to see the children’s personal growth through the camp – their eyes have brightened and they have embraced the idea of restoring nature on their doorstep.”

The aim of the Danube Delta Rewilding Camp is to reconnect children with nature and give them a better understanding and appreciation of rewilding.

Ioanna Petrencu

Diversified Projects

The camp participants enjoyed a rich and varied programme of activities. Interactive educational sessions enhanced students’ theoretical knowledge and improved their skills in areas such as teamwork, presentation and critical thinking. They learned Natural Processes and Key species The importance of deltas, healthy wetlands and grasslands, and how rewilding can help nature and Community The event also focuses on exploration and hands-on action, with time devoted to actual rewilding work and wildlife observations of the delta landscape.

During the summer camp, students went on field trips every day, either on foot or by boat. They came into close contact with the amazing biodiversity of the delta landscape, witnessed natural processes here, and learned firsthand about the methods and approaches of rewilding. In particular, they met with Romanian Ornithological Societytalking about these iconic birds and Pelican Lifestyle Initiative.

Children at the Danube Delta Rewilding Camp travel by boat to the delta to get a close look at the spectacular wildlife there.

Katerina Kulagina

Retezat's Rewilder

Located about 700 km west of Yurilovka, Romania Retezat National Park – As part of the Southern Carpathians Reconstruction Landscape – Another week-long educational camp kicked off on July 21. The “Young Reconstructors: Mission Reconstruction” camp, held last year at another location, brought together 15 children aged 10 to 15 from all over Romania to enjoy the spectacular wild nature of the park. A carefully planned program of activities introduced them to reconstruction and the benefits it can bring.

In the field, Catalin Josan, a senior ranger with the Romanian Wildlife Conservation Organization, spoke about monitoring and showed the children how camera traps can help those involved in conservation learn more about wildlife. During this hike, two camera traps were actually installed as Ongoing monitoring work in the park As a pioneer in expanding actual rewilding efforts. In addition, the children also enjoyed watching brown bears and wild boars.

At the camp “Junior Rewilders: Mission to Retezat”, 15 children gathered in Retezat National Park, part of the rewilding landscape of the Southern Carpathians.

Alexandra Stancu

Alexandra Stancu, Rewilding Romania officer, showed the camp participants medicinal plants and talked about how to identify them and some of their benefits. The children also learned about the importance of key species, focusing on the European bison. In 2014, Rewilding Europe and WWF Romania began reintroducing bison in the Southern Carpathians, and today the bison population has grown to more than 200 animals. Sebastian Ursuta, Rewilding Romania's communications officer, prepared a series of fun and educational games to help the children learn more about the animals, while Paula Bora, Rewilding Romania's business officer, discussed responsible consumption and fair trade.

Alexandra Stancu, operations officer at Rewilding Romania, talks about medicinal plants, how to identify them and their benefits.

Paula Bora

Positive Feedback

The children who attended both camps were enthusiastic about their experiences.

“It was especially fun to see the pelicans,” said Anna Bielnichanu, 16, who participated in the Danube Delta Rewilding Camp. “I also enjoyed walking in Jurilovca, meeting new people, and learning about nature and rewilding. Thank you so much for this great opportunity!”

“I learned a lot during this week,” added Varvara Nakaba, a 13-year-old girl who participated in the same camp. “It really inspired me to explore the delta and its natural beauty further.”

The Romanian rewilding team plans to hold the third youth rewilding camp in different regions next year. A rewilding camp in the Danube Delta will also be held next year.

In both camps, interactive teaching sessions enhanced students’ theoretical knowledge and improved their personal skills.

Paula Bora

Valuable support

The educational activities in the Danube Delta are part of an ongoing effort to accelerate nature restoration covering at least 40,000 hectares of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve in Romania, Moldova and Ukraine. The work is coordinated by Rewilding Europe and carried out by Rewilding Ukraine, Rewilding Romania and local partners with financial support from Rewilding Europe. Endangered Landscapes and Seascapes Project.

In our work on Rewilding Europe Restoring the natural landscape We are particularly grateful to those who provided core funding – especially Ecological Restoration Fundthis Netherlands Postcode Lottery, WWF Netherlandsand ArcadiaTheir long-term support has been critical in helping us achieve and scale up our rewilding impact.