In this component, extensive information campaigns were conducted on the need to change irresponsible attitudes towards resources in favour of rational and sustainable consumption. The activities accompanying the information campaigns were based on the principles of citizen science and environmental education, and reached all groups of the population, from ordinary users to representatives of regional and district authorities.
The aim of the project component was to raise awareness among local communities about sustainable management of natural resources and to raise their awareness of the importance of preserving and protecting ecosystems from degradation.
Within the framework of the project "Revival of Biocultural Heritage through Integrated Pasture and Wildlife Management", with the assistance of the "Karek Children's Cinema PF", workshops on the basics of filmmaking, script writing, choosing actors, interviews and the use of technical tools were conducted for school children in At-Bashy district of Naryn province. At the training sessions, the speakers tried to get the children to open up their inner world and experience the resulting film from beginning to end. The outcome of the workshops was the production of three short films: "Iyyk Muras", "Birinchi mahabat" and "Birinchi kat". The films told legends, myths and memories of the older generation about the snow leopard. According to the recognition of the schoolchildren which were the authors of the film, the knowledge received from the older generation inspired them with the desire to appreciate the nature of their native land, to protect its uniqueness and originality.
Drawings, essays, and models by students from schools in At-Bashy district of Naryn province were presented at the exhibition "I study the world around us. Let's protect the snow leopard", organised for schoolchildren and students in Naryn in spring 2018.
For teachers and students there were prepared a textbook "Guardians of the snowy mountains", approved by the Scientific Council of the Kyrgyz Academy of Education under the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic, and an educational game "Conservation of the snow leopard and its habitat".
Under the project "An Ecosystem-Based Approach for Adaptation to Climate Change in the High Mountain Regions of Central Asia" in Naryn a social and educational exhibition was held, which combined two expositions - "Me and the World Around Me. Climate and Phenology" and "Me and the Surrounding World. Let's protect the snow leopard". Creative and imaginative models, colourful drawings, fascinating essays, and short films were devoted to the ecosystem of the native land of the participants – the problems of melting glaciers, degradation of pastures, the impact of rubbish on the soil and plants, and the conservation of the snow leopard. Each of the works submitted expressed the schoolchildren's caring attitude towards the environment and natural resources.
In addition, at the beginning of the project, wireless weather stations were installed in secondary schools in Bash-Kaiyndy and Bolshevik villages of Bash-Kaiyndy Aimak, with which high school students studied the local climate, water quality, and vegetation changes. Under the guidance of biology and geography teachers, the students also monitored crops.
Under the project "Biodiversity Conservation and Poverty Reduction with Community Involvement in Walnut Forest and Grassland Management", a collaboration with 18 schools in Bazar-Korgon district of Jalal-Abad region was carried out during 2019, resulting in innovative approaches in environmental education. These include the participation of teachers and students in the "March of Parks" and "Walnut Festival" campaigns, trainings on progressive methods of teaching academic disciplines and the basics of filmmaking. Thanks to the mini-film academy, the students produced five experimental short films on the conservation and protection of the Arstanbap walnut forests. Three of the films were selected to participate in the National Youth Film Festival organised by the Karek Children's Film Foundation. The protagonist of one of the films, thirteen-year-old schoolgirl Aruuke qizi Nurdin from Arstanbap village, was named "Best Young Actress of the Year" by the competition jury.
As part of an active information campaign, various events were held in an interactive and interesting form: information meetings with residents, including representatives of State bodies, forestry farms, pasture committees and religious figures, seminars and creative competitions for journalists and schoolchildren, film screenings of experimental short and thematic films, and information materials on sustainable management of natural resources were actively distributed.
One of the information products of the environmental education strand of the project was the manual "Sustainable Education and Biodiversity Conservation".
