The management team of the project “Feasibility study for the establishing the Kosovar Center for Environmental Education and Research from January 29 to 31 made a study visit to Germany.

In addition to getting to know our German colleagues, we had the opportunity to exchange experiences and also discuss future collaborations.

We were closely acquainted with the work of the Nature Museum in Konstanz, including the educational programs they offer for children, to continue with a visit to the two largest NGOs in Germany – NABU and BUND, which play an important role in the management and nature conservation. We also visited the Max Plank Institute, which is known worldwide for their research, especially in monitoring the behavior and migration of birds and other animals.

The visit to the Wilhelmsdorf Nature Conservation Center was quite impressive as this center is responsible for managing wetlands, agriculture and organizing educational programs for children in nature.

Then we visited two educational institutions, the Humboldt Gymnasium in Konstanz and the University of Konstanz.

The Humboldt Gymnasium is one of the oldest and most popular schools in Konstanz with modern classrooms and laboratories that offer the opportunity to hold very attractive biology courses both in the field and in the laboratory. During the visit to the University of Konstanz, the Department of Biology, we got to know the nature exhibition spaces (terrariums, aquariums and embalmed specimens) through which the students have much easier practical learning.

We also met representatives of EuroNatur, who are partners in the project, where we discussed the way of concrete cooperation in the next stages of the project’s realization.

On the third day, a visit was made to the Regional Council of Tübingen, which is financed by the Government and, among other things, organizes mobile courses in schools with the aim of raising awareness of nature conservation. In this meeting, we learned what the differences are between the programs offered by NGOs and projects funded by the government. We had the opportunity to see the mobile car with all the educational equipment up close.

We also visited the Nordschwarzwald National Park, within which there is a visitor center that offers not only informational materials, but also conducts guided tours and courses that can be booked by tourists. This visitor center, which mainly manages and maintains the national park, is a government institution that deals with the implementation of conservation actions. We also learned about the training and responsibilities of national park rangers as this type of training is a valuable option for a future center in Kosovo.

In the end, we presented the activities up to now and the current project of KEERC, as well as had fruitful discussions with the Albanian diaspora in Stuttgart about the possibility of their support for the development of the Kosovar Center for Environmental Education and Research.