More than 120 participants from regions across Russia, from Moscow to Nakhodka, convened in Vladivostok to exchange knowledge and best practices in environmental education.
The All-Russian Research-to-Practice Conference with international participation “Strategies for Building Relationships Between Science and Education in Conserving Ecosystem Biodiversity” brought together school teachers, members of scientific and nature conservation organizations from Russia and China.
“Environmental education constitutes a substantial part in the Primorsky Aquarium’s work,” pointed out Olga Shevchenko, Director of the Primorsky Aquarium, in her welcoming address. “We take pride in our achievements in this area: over ten years of operations, tens of thousands of schoolchildren and university students have been involved in our environmental education projects. We are pleased to share our original methodologies in teaching biology and ecology and enhancing environmental awareness in children.”
The growing relevance and popularity of the Open School as a platform for knowledge exchange and networking are evidenced by the annual expansion of its geographical reach and increasing interest not only from educational institutions but also from scientific and non-governmental organizations. Notably, the list of participants for the first time in the history of this event included Chinese colleagues of the Primorsky Aquarium’s team, as well representatives from the Pacific Institute of Geography, FEB RAS, and the Amur Tiger Center.
“This event is unique in its own right, and a great opportunity to meet environmental education professionals from various regions and to talk to them face-to-face,” said Sergei Aramilev, Director of the Far-Eastern Branch of the Amur Tiger Center. “Every region has its own features, but, as one of the speakers aptly noted, landscapes and animals may differ, but effective ways to communicate with children are universal.”
The IX Open School also saw participation from the Andover Leisure Group, a company that operates a network of aquariums in China. The Primorsky Aquarium has maintained a long-term and multifaceted partnership with this major Chinese corporation since 2023. Members of both organizations regularly exchange expertise in animal research, husbandry, and breeding, as well as in marine mammal training. Moreover, the scope of their mutual interests continues to expand. The goal of this visit was to participate in the conference “Strategies for Building Relationships Between Science and Education in Conserving Ecosystem Biodiversity”, held as part of the IX Open School. The guests from China showed interest in advancing environmental education in public aquariums of China and plan to adopt the extensive experience of their Russian counterparts.
The head of the Chinese delegation, Zhang Hui Han Sindu, President and CEO of the Andover Leisure Group, expressed his gratitude to the management of the Primorsky Aquarium for their hospitality and praised the top-notch organization of the event.
“The conference was very useful for us. We aim to transform the approach to environmental education in our aquariums, to place greater emphasis on research activities and to foster independent project-based learning among children,” shared Zhang. “We were greatly impressed by the creative atmosphere cultivated for children at the Primorsky Aquarium, the atmosphere that consistently supports their holistic development. We would like to implement some of the methodologies created by your educators across our corporate network. It would be wonderful if school students in China could come to aquariums after classes and learn about live plants and animals.”
The parties scheduled a visit of specialists from China to the Primorsky Aquarium for the autumn of this year for further experience exchange in the field of environmental education.
The keynote speeches and sections of the IX Open School addressed various aspects of environmental education and conservation activities, including problems with pollution of our rivers, lakes and seas, public monitoring of river conditions, the study of forest ecosystems, innovations in education and many other topical issues.
Specialists from the Moscow and Leningrad Zoos, teachers from schools in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), educators from non-formal education organizations from Sakhalin, Bolshoy Kamen, Nakhodka, and many other cities shared their expertise in education. In turn, members of the Primorsky Aquarium’s team presented a variety of topics concerning their work, including the activities of marine mammal trainers, tour guides, education department staff, and research laboratory personnel.
The main conference papers will be compiled into a proceedings volume, intended to serve as a resource for environmental education specialists across the country.
The Primorsky Aquarium acknowledges the support of Transneft – Port Kozmino LLC in organizing the conference.
