Young foresters from Ismayilli and Gakh districts of Azerbaijan called for unified efforts in preservation of our forestland while addressing the participants of the XIII International Junior Forest Contest.

Trip to Peterhof, Russia, supported by FLEG II, turned out to be another success for Anna Orlova and Ayla Aliyeva from Azerbaijan, who returned home with diplomas, medals, determined to stay connected with like-minded peers from all over the world.

“No matter if you walk, work or study in the local forests, anthropogenic impacts and effects of climate change are there”, said the student of the Xth grade of Ivanovka village school Anna Orlova during the presentation. Her project for the Contest was about the global warming and its impact on the forest ecosystem. Together with her friends from the young foresters’ group, she analyzed meteorological and video surveillance data to assess the degree of influence of climatic changes on the forest ecosystem.

“There is a real passion in our village, among the youth and even older generation to see the forests less polluted and more protected”, said Anna during the discussions. “Thanks to the well-established cooperation with the local state forestry authorities, local young foresters took an active part in the restoration of the dried and burnt forest sites”.

Her words resonated with the story of Ayla Aliyeva, a leader of the “Friends of the Forests” group in the Gakh secondary school #3. Ayla’s project evaluated the living behavior of the undergrowth of the forest species. “Our primary idea was to understand why and under which circumstances the undergrowth dies and how we can stop it”. The schoolchildren shared results of the year-long study with the Gakh district municipality, state tourism and sport authorities and media.

The unofficial part of the Contest - full of heated discussions, art evenings and sightseeing tours - was another possibility for the participants to exchange their knowledge, experience and passion towards the environment.

The annual International Junior Young Foresters’ Contest took place on September 4-9 in Peterhof area, near the city of Saint-Petersburg, Russia. The event brought together participants from 27 countries of Europe, Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States, Africa, North and South America, and was organized by the Federal Forestry Agency of the Russian Federation. This is the third participation of the Azerbaijani young foresters in the Contest organized by the Republican Center of Ecological Education and Experience (Ministry of Education) with the financial support from the FLEG II Program.