LEAF NOM 2018

1. Forest Action for Climate Change
Mitigation: A Case Study in
International Collaboration
Dr Dimitrios Gkotzos
Environmental Education Officer
Athens B Directorate of Primary Education.
Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs
President of the Hellenic LEAF Coordinating Committee

2. Forest Action for Climate Change Mitigation
BULGARIAN BLUE FLAG
MOVEMENT
CYPRUS MARINE
ENVIRONMENT
PROTECTION
ASSOCIATION
CARPATHIAN-DANUBIAN
CENTRE OF GEOECOLOGY
Partners

3. Pilot program of environmental education
in the thematic area
“Forest and climate change”
Providing information, raising of
awareness, promotion of
environmentally responsible
action
Addressing climate change
causes and effects
Forest action for
climate change mitigation
Program Ιdentity
Climate
change
mitigation

4. Τhe importance of the program
Climate change is one of the greatest threats humankind has known.
Forests can be part of the solution.
Forests
Human
intervention
Climate
Bio-
diversity
Εnergy
Forest
fires
CO2
Our response to
SDG’s 4, 13 & 15

5. Participants
Local national
operators/organisations
Primary and secondary
schools
24 school teachers and
their learners
(age 10-15)
198 teachers and 4473
learners involved

6. Τhe thematic areas
Forest and Biodiversity
Bulgaria
Forest Fires
Cyprus
Forest and CO2
Greece
Forest and Energy
Romania
Forest and
climate change

7. The elements of the program
Educational
activities
• Designed and
piloted by a
team of 24
teachers
• Late primary
and early
secondary
education (ages
10-15)
Ecocode
• Poster, text
(catchy and
creative slogans),
song, poem
• Environmental
attitude and
ecological
behaviour
Common
Action Day
• Promotion
and information
actions
• School and local
community

8. The educational activities
Protection of biodiversity in
the forests of the closest
national park or protected area
(Emphasis on local aspects of
climate change)
Classroom Experiments
“Global Warming” and
“Flooding”
(Explaining relations between
plants and animals and climate
change)
Badges “Save the animals in the
forest” and Mailbox “Sharing is
caring”
(Conservation of ecosystems
and biodiversity)
Forest biodiversity and climate
change (Discovering and
realizing the interconnection
between forest ecosystems,
biodiversity and climate
change)
Forest and
biodiversity
(Bulgarian Blue
Flag Movement)

9. The educational activities
Little Forest Guardians
(Raising awareness of the
benefits of forests to ecosystem
and the need to prevent forest
fires)
Soil erosion and restoration
measures
(Get to know the phenomenon of
soil erosion and explore the
consequences of wind and
rainfall erosion to the ecosystem)
Ecosystem restoration measures:
seed balls
(Exploring ways to restore the
ecosystem at an affected area)
Raising awareness of the impacts
of wildfires in the forest
ecosystem (Acknowledging the
increased risk of wildfires due to
climate change)
Forest Fires
CΥΜΕPA

10. The educational activities
What I want to know about the
forest – learn by playing
(Experience the forest functions
related to the consumption of
carbon dioxide and its
contribution to climate change
mitigation)
Discovering my ecological
footprint [Introduce the
concept of ecological footprint
(carbon footprint)]
The first step: learning in our
schoolyard (Recognize the
contribution of forests to
climate change mitigation)
The forest is talking to us (Give
students feedback and
information on the forest
ecosystem)
Forest and CO2
HSPN

11. Forest climatic influence
(Convince learners that the more
trees are in the schoolyard, the
fresher and healthier the air is)
The forest nature’s powerhouse
(Raising awareness of the forest
role as a major renewable energy
source)
Opportunities for funding local
climate initiative
[Increase the insight in effective
strategies (local climate resilience
plans) for climate change
adaptation and mitigation]
Alternative and Renewable Energy
Sources (Promoting alternative
and renewable energy sources)
Forest and Energy
CCDG
The educational activities

12. Common action day (21 March)
Presentations
Lectures by
expertsSchoolyard
Paintings
exhibition
Questionnaires
Use of
broadcast
media
Making
signs,
poster

13. Day 1
The theoretical
framework and
presentations from
the participating
countries
Day 2
Visit to the EEC of
Elefsina
Fieldwork in the
city of Elefsina and
in Mt Hymettus
Day 3
Working group for
educational material
Forest Action for Climate Change Mitigation
International seminar, Athens 24-26/11

14. Concluding remarks -
Implications - Recommendations
Educating for
forests’
contribution to
climate change
adaptation and
mitigation
Our response to
SDG’s 4, 13 & 15
After piloting,
large-scale
implementation
in the
participating
countries
An example of
regional
collaboration
within LEAF
Educational
material in
English -
available to all
LEAF countries