Project “Junior Rangers: Young Guardians of Nature Parks” Launched

Parks Dinarides has launched the implementation of the project “Junior Rangers: Young Guardians of Nature Parks”, which will develop and pilot a programme aimed at actively engaging young people in nature conservation and the work of nature parks in Montenegro over the next 12 months.

The project will involve young people aged 15 to 17 from Plužine, Šavnik, Andrijevica and Herceg Novi, representing local communities surrounding the Piva, Dragišnica and Komarnica, Komovi and Orjen Nature Parks.

The project aims to provide young people with an opportunity to learn about nature and protected areas through practical experience – fieldwork, exploration, education and volunteering – while also actively involving them in the development of a programme designed for them. At the same time, the project will bring together nature park management bodies, youth offices, youth organisations and local authorities to establish a sustainable model for long-term youth engagement in protected areas.

In the first phase of the project, a Junior Ranger programme will be developed for each of the four nature parks through participatory workshops involving young people themselves.

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The developed model will be piloted through a five-day Junior Ranger camp in Piva Nature Park, bringing together at least 20 young people from the four participating municipalities. The camp programme will include workshops, fieldwork, learning about biodiversity and natural values, as well as practical nature conservation activities.

The project will also include volunteering and field activities in all four nature parks, while the digital campaign “Youth and Protected Areas” will promote young people’s experiences, youth activism and opportunities for their active involvement in nature conservation.

The aim is for the Junior Ranger programme to go beyond a one-off project activity and become part of the regular work of nature parks and, where possible, be incorporated into their management plans and annual programmes. In this way, the project will lay the foundations for the long-term involvement of young people in nature conservation and for the replication of the model in other protected areas across Montenegro.

The project “Junior Rangers: Young Guardians of Nature Parks” is implemented by Parks Dinarides within the Youth Environment and Social Innovation Hub (YES iHub) project, implemented by Juventas in partnership with Help Montenegro, ALDA – European Association for Local Democracy and the Network for European Policies – MASTER, with the support of the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro and co-financing from the Ministry of Regional-Investment Development and Cooperation with Non-Governmental Organisations.

The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of Parks Dinarides and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the donors.