New Erasmus+ project to educate and empower young people on human–wildlife coexistence

ARCTUROS is participating in the European Erasmus+ project “YEAH for Human-Wildlife Harmony”, an international initiative that aims to educate, empower and actively engage young people in issues related to human-wildlife coexistence.

The project focuses particularly on large carnivores and the management of human-wildlife interactions, a field of growing importance for biodiversity conservation, conflict prevention and the sustainable coexistence of local communities with wildlife.

The project brings together organisations from Greece, Romania (Project Bag) and Bulgaria (WWF Bulgaria), with the shared goal of developing educational tools and activities that will provide young people with knowledge, practical skills and meaningful opportunities to participate in nature conservation.

A central element of the project is the development of two educational programmes for young people aged 14-18 and 19-25. These programmes are designed around experiential learning, field-based education, citizen science and the involvement of young people in real conservation challenges.

As part of the project, a set of educational tools will be produced for use by educators, youth workers, environmental organisations, visitor and information centres, and other bodies working with young people. These include:

• a report on good practices and pedagogical approaches, based on the partners’ experience in environmental education, youth work and the operation of information and visitor centres;
• guides for educators, supporting the implementation of the educational programmes for the two age groups;
• educational material and activities on the biology and ecology of large carnivores, wildlife monitoring, data collection and interpretation, conflict prevention and the management of interaction incidents;
• monitoring and evaluation tools to capture learning progress, participation and the experience of young people;
• a citizen science application, to be used as an educational and research tool for involving young people in data collection through mobile phones;
• pilot educational activities at national level, so that the material can be tested in practice and improved before wider implementation.

In parallel, the project includes field activities, summer schools, the participation of young people in an international conference, and an online Youth Forum for the exchange of ideas and the development of proposals on human-wildlife coexistence.

Through these activities, participants will have the opportunity to learn more about:

• the biology and ecology of species such as the bear, wolf and lynx;
• the factors that lead to interactions and conflicts with humans;
• prevention and management practices;
• the importance of scientific monitoring;
• and the role that young people themselves can play in nature conservation.

Drawing on its long-standing experience in wildlife conservation, environmental education and the management of human–large carnivore interaction incidents, ARCTUROS will contribute substantially to the design and implementation of the project’s educational activities.

The aim of YEAH for Human-Wildlife Harmony is for young people to become active participants: to understand the challenges of coexistence, develop critical thinking and cooperation skills, and contribute in an informed and responsible way to the protection of wildlife and biodiversity.