Protected Area Staff Training on Interactive Environmental Education and Communication
Thirteen staff members from the Khan Khenti Special
Protected Area (KKSPA) and Gorkhi Terelj National Park (GTNP) took part in a training on “Methods and Tools of interactive EEC” organized by the SPACES
project on 8-9 Feb, 2023. The two-day workshop was moderated by Sunjidmaa
Renchin of the Environmental Education Center of Mongolian National University
and Narangerel Yasanjev of the People-Centered Conservation, a national NGO.
German Manfred Oepen from ACT Assist and Markus Roger from SPACES project also
participated.
Participants
were divided into two working groups (WGs) to discuss the EEC methods and tools
they use in their respected protected areas (PAs) when they work with the
public and local communities. They
presented their work using role plays. Next, participants brainstormed the
question “What elements do you need to run EEC?” in two WGs, writing,
collecting and clustering moderation cards on pinboards by themselves. Once this exercise was completed, the moderators explained that the related
discussion constitutes a brainstorming process using the cards,
markers, pins and pinboards. Participants realized that unknowingly they
had been learning by doing this systematic process in 10 steps one by one. They
liked the exercise and shared that within only half an hour they can do such
brainstorming with local communities on a variety of issues and topics.
Participants
continued the training with a WG task on “Forest Life”, preparing and
presenting an event on this topic for local communities and eco-clubs. Once the
WGs had presented their ideas in plenary, the moderators provided their inputs
on how to make such events more interactive and participatory, which was highly
appreciated by the participants.
On
Day 2, participants divided into two random WGs to identify key environmental
issues and problems in their areas and how to discuss and address these issues
it with the locals. The key issues identified by the participants were waste management, deforestation and land
tenure security of locals. Next, the WGs were asked to use tools and
exercises from the EEC toolbox to deal with these issues in public.