Stork counting preparations go on at Turye-Remeta Secondary School - IRCEF

IRCEF

Interreligious civil environmental forum of Eastern Europe

Stork counting preparations go on at Turye-Remeta Secondary School

Seventh-grade students from Turye-Remety Secondary School took the initiative to participate in the International Stork Count, a decennial event. Orysia Krechko, a biology teacher and IRCEF trainer, organized an introductory lesson on storks for the students to prepare them for counting the birds accurately and conscientiously.

During the lesson, they discussed the characteristics of storks and their significance in Ukrainian culture and nature. The white stork is known by different names in various regions of Ukraine and is cherished by Ukrainians for its close association with people. While the white stork population had been decreasing for some time, there was a resurgence in the 1990s. Monitoring changes in their population is crucial for scientists to manage bird numbers and implement conservation measures. Ukraine boasts one of the largest breeding populations of storks in Europe, estimated between 35,000 to 45,000.

Through an interactive presentation, the students discovered that in Ukraine, the stork symbolizes parental love and blessings for children, signifying family well-being and love for the homeland. It is believed that a household with a stork’s nest brings good fortune. Orysia Krechko also explained the tradition of the International Stork Count and its guidelines. The previous count, the seventh edition, occurred in 2014-2015. The upcoming VIII International Count, coordinated by the Ukrainian Association for the Protection of Birds (UAPB) in Ukraine, is scheduled for 2024. In the 2014 census, 48 countries participated. Ukraine has been conducting these censuses since 1993. Key information collected includes the number of occupied stork nests, the count of nestlings in the nests, and the identification of nests without them.

For further details on the stork census and how to get involved, please refer to the UAPB website.

The event was held within the framework of cooperation between the Interreligious and Civil Environmental Forum of Eastern Europe (IRCEF) headed by Olexander Bokotey) and the German Nature Conservation Union (NABU Bundesverband, NABU International), project coordinators Ivan Tymofeiev (NABU), and Nataliya Kulya (IRCEF).

Informational Service of IRCEF

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