EURO-ECO 2009 Hanover 3 - 4 Dezember 2009	Environmental, Engineering - Economic and Legal Aspects for Sustainable Living
	European Academy of Natural Sciences, Hanover European Scientific Society, Hanover University of Bremen, Bremen

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Abstracts EURO-ECO 2009

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Tatyana D. Strelnikova

The problem of environmental protection is, unfortunately, among those which remain acute and are hard to solve.

The ecological component of the system of modern education is the basic one, since it is this component that forms the ecocentric identity of man.

The process of education starts in the family, goes on through nursery and secondary school, university and post-graduate education.

However, the numerous experimental educational programs, textbooks, manuals on ecological education of students do not yield tangible results. The problem of low ecological culture, both among adults and students, still remains acute.

The basic principle of environmental protection activities is to provide a balance between environment-consuming and environment-reproducing territories in the Lipetsk region of Russia. In order to form such notions, a well-structured system of theoretical knowledge and practical skills is necessary which would be aimed at the support of such a balance, the optimization and correction of the present disturbances in the process of nature management. Such understanding and convictions are a result of the lasting process of ecological education. It can be achieved if we follow several basic steps.

Ecological education may be carried out outside educational establishments, for example in organizing tourist routes. Within their framework it is possible to arrange cognition either as an educational process or mere introduction. The difference between the first and the second types of cognition is that an educational process is connected with purposeful and thematic obtaining of knowledge about the elements of an ecosystem, while the introductory one concerns nonprofessional observation of nature. Introduction may be carried out in three forms: the passive one (just being in a natural environment), the active one (with tourists walking from one natural object to another), and the sports one (overcoming natural obstacles on routes).

Recently people have used various forms of tourism to take a rest from the busy life of the city, and it is here that ecological knowledge can be applied. For example, it is not enough to simply know that one must scavenge and must not fell trees and cut shrubs. Specific knowledge is needed concerning the rules of camping and making a campfire while hiking. It makes the existence of a hiking group more comfortable and increases fire safety, especially in arid places. Some knowledge of tree breeds meant for making fire is also helpful. In rainy weather it is useful to know that Tatarian maple practically always burns well, while birch as a fuel is not quite suitable in wet weather. Some knowledge of flora and fauna is necessary, which will help to tell eatable plants from noxious ones and harmless animals from dangerous ones.

Following any route it must be remembered that this or that terrain can endure a pressure of a certain number of people who have walked on it. The number is big enough, but not infinite. Its excess leads to quite serious consequences including the destruction of biocenoses. The beginning of the process can be seen today in many stopping places, which are often visited by tourists. The signs of the process are heaps of metal, paper, and plastic garbage, shortage of firewood, trampled grass. On the other hand, a person who knows nature and understands it will put a maximum effort in bringing as little harm to it as possible. And here we see the necessity of practical ecology through ecological tourism.

Public monitoring is playing a still greater part in ecological and biological research; the monitoring can be performed by tourists-ecologists.

Those who take part in ecological expeditions study the laws of ecology by their own experience and not from books or newspapers. As a result, tourists begin to feel part of living nature and behave adequately when following the route.

 

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