International Days provided an excellent opportunity to bring people together on both sides of the Dniester River in Moldova, where Arnika and its local partner, Biotica, have been running an environmental project for a long time. Both students and parents learnt about ornithology and the ecological value of their regions, and helped to clean some precious areas.
In order to celebrate International Bird Day (1st of April), our Transnistrian colleagues organised an excursion (on the 5th of April) entitled "The World of Birds of the Lower Dniester". The excursion was to the Kutsa Island and the Kuchurgan Reservoir within the Lower Dniester Ramsar Site. 35 volunteers from the Green House movement and students from schools in Tiraspol, the village of Nezavertailovka and the city of Dnestrovsk took part in a field lesson featuring elements of nature interpretation, ornithological observation, quizzes, and mini lectures.
The excursion started on the banks of the Turunchuk River with staff from the Iagorlic Nature Reserve and a teacher from the Nezavertailovka School speaking about the history of International Bird Day and the importance of bird conservation worldwide. During the excursion to the Kutsa Island, participants were introduced to the Ramsar Convention, the international status of the Lower Dniester as a wetland of global significance, and the vital role of the Kutsa Island as an important ornithological site in the region. Experts guided the volunteers through observations of lemnophilous (wetland-loving) bird species in their natural habitat. The route included key ecological sites such as drainage canals, flooded areas, meadow zones, and forested regions.
Two weeks later, on the 16th of April, our colleagues from Biotica prepared a series of events in the Lower Dniester National Park on the right-hand riverbank. In the context of International Earth Day (22nd of April) and in collaboration with the Purcari Mayoralty, we organised environmental clean-up activities aimed at promoting environmental protection and encouraging civic engagement at local level. In the Vișoara Village, the cleanup took place near the spring that had previously been rehabilitated within our previous project. Local residents and pupils from the village school (23 people in total) actively participated, providing a positive example of intergenerational cooperation. The Purcari Community Hall supported the initiative by providing a trailer for waste collection and transport. The involvement of students helped raise ecological awareness among youth by turning environmental learning into a directly impacting event.
In parallel, a similar activity ran in Tudora, also in the Lower Dniester NP, near the "La Tudora" Tourist Guesthouse, a location with high tourism potential that had been affected for years by the illegal dumping of waste. 39 municipal employees, pupils and local residents took part in the effort. Two tractor trailers full of waste were removed from the area, although additional interventions are still needed to complete the cleanup.
These initiatives played both a symbolic and practical role in honouring International Earth Day and reaffirmed the commitment of local communities to protecting nature. Voluntary participation of the residents highlights the community's willingness to maintain a clean and healthy environment.
International Earth Day was also an opportunity to involve young people (almost 130 people) in ecological awareness raising activities, namely via a themed drawing contest - “Caring for the Earth Starts with Me!” for pupils and students from the Lower Dniester National Park area (Cîrnățeni, Tudora and Rascaieti). The contest contributes to the education of sustainable development, encourages the creative expression of students' visions on environmental protection and promotes the values of care for the Earth and personal engagement in its preservation.
The immediate impact lies in increasing the students’ awareness of International Earth Day and environmental issues, while also encouraging dialogue on climate change, protection of local ecosystems, and sustainable management of natural resources. The contest aims to be an important step in shaping a new generation of active and environmentally responsible citizens. All participants received diplomas of participation, and 11 pupils received vouchers from the Librarius bookstore.
All of the above-mentioned activities were organised within the framework of the project “Natura 2000 in Moldova: Promoting the European Approach to Nature Conservation in Moldova”, with financial support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic through the Transition Promotion Programme.
