By Sergey Kovalev
On the eve of the Forum, participants symbolically visited the Belovezhskaya Pushcha, as this year’s event coincides with the International Year of Forests. Belarus’ sacred Brest Hero-Fortress also received attention, with a maple avenue planted nearby.
“Sadly, not everyone understands how fragile our home planet Earth truly is; it resembles a crystal ball which might easily be destroyed. The significance of the Ecological Forum can hardly be overestimated,” stressed the Chairman of the Brest Regional Executive Committee, Konstantin Sumar. “Attracting public attention to environmental problems, alongside ecological education, is among the most important tasks for our state.”
An exhibition entitled Modern Technologies in the Field of Environmental Protection and Rational Nature Use was a traditional highlight of the Forum, organised along the central avenue of the City Culture and Recreation Park. The theme of forests continued, with local guesthouses and tourist sites promoting themselves, while forestry stands were ‘planted’ with local decorative plants. The park’s avenue featured lovely summer houses and wooden lodges produced by the forestries. Meanwhile, hunting forestries showed what they have to offer in the field of tourism and active leisure.
Master classes left no time to be bored, with APB BirdLife Belarus Public Organisation inviting visitors to help build nesting boxes for white wagtails. Guests were able to saw boards, hammering them together and painting their finished houses.
Minsk’s ecological gymnasium #19 aroused huge interest, with pupils demonstrating toy making and how to turn old notebooks into postcards. Waste processing enterprises also showcased their innovative developments; the latest scientific achievements and technologies help save natural resources, purifying the water and air.
“The use of modern technologies can considerably reduce our burden on the environment. We need to study them and implement the most useful designs,” stresses the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Minister, Vladimir Tsalko. Forum participants also visited Brest Waste Processing Plant, which is implementing advanced technologies.
