Delegates

ALBANIA

Under USAID assistance, the purpose of this project of the students of the Albanian Colleges is to assist national and international institutions in taking biodiversity considerations into account and its particular importance into conserving “Global Biodiversity”.

BARBADOS (UNESCO) Youth PATH

To establish the 1st Barbados’ system of protected areas (Pas) and the first National Park.
UNESCO Youth PATH will spearhead the tree planting exercise.

BOLIVIA- (PRODII) With USC Canada

PRODII’s focus is on building farmers’ ability to conserve biodiversity, and use the increased biodiversity to increase farm incomes. The goal: to help farmers reclaim their environmental and cultural heritage, moving beyond subsistence agriculture towards ecologically sustainable farming that earns higher incomes and reduces hunger.

CAMEROON

Great Ape Conservation Project (African Center for Research, Development and Climate Change) Our project is a youth service learning project. We bring together kids from our network of environmental clubs to go into the communities and offer a service to nature. We do this by mobilizing communities to take action in preventing the great ape extinction.

CANADA- E-POWER Youth Conference – Halton Hills, Ontario

On February 18, 2009 we planned a Youth Conference for approximately 200 student delegates from Grades 6 to 12. The focus on Biological Diversity was selected to engage our youth environmental leaders on the many ways to help support the 2010 international target to stop the loss of Biodiversity.

CANADA (Macoun Marsh Biodiversity Project- Ottawa)

On the grounds of Beechwood Cemetery, there exists a small wetland called the Macoun Marsh. Michael Léveillé, a science teacher at the nearby St-Laurent Academy and a group of local environmentalists and educators approached The Beechwood Cemetery Foundation to protect and preserve the biodiversity of the Marsh, to enable school children and the public to appreciate and learn from the environment. Jean Vanier Catholic School students have also been active partners in the project in recent years.

CANADA (St. Mark Catholic High School (S.A.V.E.) Students Against Violating Earth)

At St. Mark, S.A.V.E. has begun planning the Mosquito Creek/Rideau River rehabilitation project. By using plants that are native to our area, students will construct a wetland that will provide our school with an area for field studies. Our objective is to filter and purify runoff water that flows from our school, and into Mosquito Creek, eventually reaching the Rideau River.

CANADA (Provincial Envirothon competition)

ONTARIO- Biodiversity Education and Awareness Network (Provincial Envirothon competition) WINNER TO BE DETERMINED

CANADA (CISV – EcoGroup- Saint John River Valley)

Our project is about sustaining biodiversity and creating awareness. We are making a difference to the biodiversity in our ecosystem by helping to re-establish the bur oak tree to its natural habitat in the Saint John River Valley.

HONDURAS (FIPAH)- With USC Canada

FIPAH is a nonprofit organization that works in four regions of Honduras, facilitating participatory farmer research that helps to break the vicious cycle of poverty and environmental degradation by breeding new plant varieties and developing new techniques to suit the unique environments in which the farmers live and grow their crops.

INDIA- Forest sanctuary called Aranya in South India

We are three students – Smiti, Shrishti, and Maya – studying in two high schools located in the International township of Auroville in South India. We are keen on sharing the study we are doing in a young forest sanctuary called Aranya, which is a part of Auroville. Our teacher/ leader is Priya Sundaravalli. While all three of us will be working together in Aranya, we would each like to focus on specific but related aspects of the ecosystem there, and present these findings individually.

JAPAN- Conserving Owls

We are protecting and breeding owls in our area. We send our research data to the Ministry of Environment. We also planted over 250 trees and we made birds houses for these owls.

MEXICO- Yucatan field site with HabitatNet in Mêxico

The overall goals of HabitatNet are to (1) develop conservation biological literacy in high school students by affording them an opportunity to learn field methods and applications while collecting and interpreting biological diversity data and (2) establish baseline biological diversity data for HabitatNet / SIMAB field sites.

MEXICO- Lemuel Mena Vega

Sea turtle work / research from the Yucatan field site (Presenter)

U.S.A. - RESERVOIR RECOVERY STUDY- NEBRASKA

Within ten miles of Spalding, NE two local man-made reservoirs have been refurbished after serving as popular recreation sites for more than half a century. Both reservoirs were drained and dredged due to sediment build up, which was affecting the fish populations. Students have been documenting the difference in regeneration and environmental changes of these two water systems.

U.S.A. - CLEVELAND METROPARKS ZOO – ZOO CREW

Zoo Crew teen volunteers assist in the Education Division of the zoo by actively participating in various conservation projects and interpreting. The program focuses on conservation and encourages teens to learn responsibility, develop job and career skills and grow in their personal conservation ethic. One local initiative is called “Replant and Rebuild.”

U.S.A. - RHODE ISLAND- Dan Bisaccio (HabitatNet/ Brown University)

Dan is the founder of the First International Youth Symposium for Biodiversity that was held in Mexico in 2005. Our Youth Accord was created during that gathering.

The sharing of information and collaborating with students from other nations brings us closer together and helps us all to realize that we do indeed live in a global village.”

- Clint Monahan, Delegate Director