This July, educational camps were organised in the Danube Delta and Southern Carpathians rewilding landscapes in Romania. A wide range of engaging activities, complemented by memorable wildlife encounters, immersed the children in nature and gave them an appreciation for rewilding and its benefits.
Inspiring generation rewilding
Inspiring and enabling young people to join the burgeoning rewilding movement is critical for the future health of the planet. Connecting children with nature is not only beneficial for their health and development, but can help to create a generation of eco-conscious individuals who value and understand the importance of preserving and restoring natural habitats, and who want to engage in nature recovery. Building engagement with people of all ages is a central component of all rewilding efforts.
With the aim of immersing children in nature and educating them about the benefits of rewilding, educational camps were recently organised in Rewilding Europe’s Danube Delta and Southern Carpathians rewilding landscapes. The students who took part enjoyed wide-ranging activities and gave overwhelmingly positive feedback on their experience.
Cross-border connection with nature
At the start of July, the five-day “Danube Delta Rewilders Camp” – which was organised by Rewilding Ukraine and Rewilding Romania – welcomed 30 enthusiastic secondary school children from local communities. The camp took place in Jurilovca, a picturesque village on the Romanian side of the delta.
The aim of the camp was to reconnect children with nature and give them a better understanding and appreciation of rewilding. It brought together students from three countries that share the unique Danube Delta landscape, with groups from the Vylkove and Borodino communities of Ukraine, Slobozia Mare of the Republic of Moldova, and Jurilovca of Romania participating. Teachers from each country accompanied the children to gain knowledge and inspiration for future educational activities.
“Encouraging and empowering local children to live in harmony with nature is very important for the long-term preservation of the Danube Delta and other natural areas,” says Rewilding Europe communications officer Kateryna Kurakina, who coordinated the camp. “When children grow up, they will only want to protect what they love. It was great to see the kids develop personally through the camp – how their eyes lit up, and how they embraced the idea of restoring the nature on their doorstep.”
A diverse programme
Participants in the camp enjoyed a diverse programme of events and activities. Interactive educational sessions enhanced the students’ theoretical knowledge and improved their skills in areas such as teamwork, presentation making, and critical thinking. They learned about the natural processes and keystone species of the delta, the critical importance of healthy wetlands and steppes, and how rewilding can help both the nature and communities of the delta thrive. There was also a focus on exploration and tangible action, with time devoted to practical rewilding efforts and wildlife watching in the delta landscape.
Each day of the camp the students were taken on field trips, both on foot and by boat. They enjoyed close encounters with the amazing biodiversity of the delta landscape, witnessed the natural processes at work here, and learned first-hand about rewilding approaches and methods. A particular highlight was witnessing groups of Dalmatian pelicans, with Sebastian Bugariu, an ornithologist from the Romanian Ornithological Society, talking about these iconic birds and efforts to preserve and enhance the European population of the species through the Pelican Way of LIFE initiative.
Rewilders in Retezat
Around 700 kilometres west of Jurilovca, in Romania’s Retezat National Park – which is part of the Southern Carpathians rewilding landscape – another week-long educational camp kicked off on July 21. The “Junior Rewilders: Mission Retezat” Camp, which took place last year in a different location, saw 15 children aged between 10 and 15 from across Romania gather together to enjoy the park’s spectacular wild nature. A carefully curated programme of activities introduced them to rewilding and the benefits it can deliver.
Out in the field, Rewilding Romania’s senior ranger Catalin Josan talked about monitoring and showed the children how camera traps can help those involved in conservation learn more about wildlife. Two camera traps were actually set up during the excursion, as part of monitoring efforts being carried out in the park as a precursor to the expansion of practical rewilding efforts. In addition, the children enjoyed sightings of both brown bears and wild boar.
Rewilding Romania’s operations officer Alexandra Stancu showed camp participants medicinal plants, and talked about how to recognise them and some of their benefits. The children also learned about the importance of keystone species, with a focus on the European bison. Rewilding Europe and WWF Romania began reintroducing bison in the Southern Carpathians in 2014, and the free-roaming population has now grown to over 200 individuals. Rewilding Romania’s communications officer Sebastian Ursuta prepared a range of entertaining educational games, which helped the children learn more about animals, while Rewilding Romania’s enterprise officer Paula Bora discussed responsible consumption and fair trade.
Positive feedback
The childen who took part in both camps were enthusiastic about their experience.
“It was especially interesting to see the pelicans,” says 16 year-old Anna Bielnichanu, who attended the Danube Delta Rewilder Camp. “I also liked the walks in Jurilovca, meeting new friends, and learning about nature and rewilding. Thank you very much for this great opportunity!”
“I learned so much during this week,” adds 13 year-old Varvara Nakhaba, who took part in the same camp. “It really inspired me to want to explore the delta and its nature more.”
The Rewilding Romania team are aiming to run the third edition of the Junior Rewilders Camp next year, in a different part of the landscape. A Danube Delta Rewilders Camp will also be organised next year.
Invaluable support
Education activities in the Danube Delta are carried out as part of ongoing efforts to accelerate nature recovery across at least 40,000 hectares of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve in Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine. Coordinated by Rewilding Europe, this work is being carried out by Rewilding Ukraine, Rewilding Romania, and local partners, with the financial support of the Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme.
Rewilding Europe’s work in our rewilding landscapes is supported by a wide range of highly valued partners. We would particularly like to acknowledge those providing core funding – notably the Ecological Restoration Fund, the Dutch Postcode Lottery, WWF-Netherlands, and Arcadia. Their longstanding support plays a critical role in enabling us to deliver and scale up rewilding impact.
