Project Detail

Lessons learned seminar for SGP Grantees from North-Eastern Poland

Evaluation of special projects supported by GEF/SGP - educational centres, museums owned and managed by NGOs in 1997-2006.Meeting of NGO leaders, directors of these "green points" with a main question - where we are, what is the importance of these points for NGO activity, visibility; is it useful in education/campaigns conducted by NGOs? is it stabile access to the public/visitors? is it possible to maintain these objects and services? can NGOs afford all costs?are interested in further development of these centers or experience from the past proved that this task is too ambitious, consuming too much energy and resources, including human resources?
Did implementation of these projects improved NGOs skills in management?are these centers attractive to the public/visitors?provide good services and educational/informational products?
2 day meeting allowed to address all these issues, brought a good platform for exchange of good and bad lessons with some recomendations for the future.
Participants - The Lower Vistula River Friends Association - HQ, museum of old varieties of cereals,mini- skansen of hives in Gruczno, old varieties of fruit tree orchad in Chrystkowo; Naturalist Club (Klub Przyrodnikow) - Museum of Meadow in Owczary, also training station also collection of old fruit trees; Klopot (LOP - Leaquew for Nature Protection), Zywkowo, Pentowo (both PTOP North Podlasie Bird protection Society), Hel Seal Station Friends of Hel Peninsula and the Sea Station of University of Gdansk; Kopanka - Bat Musem, PTOP Salamandra; Trzcinica - Training Center , PTPP pro NATURA.

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Project Snapshot

Grantee:

North Podlasie Society for Birds Protection,

Country:

Poland

Area Of Work:

Multifocal Area
Biodiversity

Operational Phase:

Phase 3

Grant Amount:

US$ 2,000.00

Co-Financing Cash:

Co-Financing in-Kind:

Project Number:

POL/06/OP3/10p

Start Date:

6/2007

End Date:

10/2007

Status:

Satisfactorily Completed

Project Characteristics and Results

Policy Influence

The exchange of gathered experience by all participants despite of various circumstances of individual place proved to be very valuable and worth of frequent repetition, involving more addresses, not only sponsored by GEF/SGP.

Project Results

Extensive and conducted in depth discussion after presentation of all sites proved that NGOs (owners and managers) are interested in continuation and extention of these centers and their services.Financial situation of all vary from place to place, mostly due to number of visitors, with the most of them in May-September period. Sea Station with seals is exeptional example of visibility, number of visitors ( cc 500.000 yearly) allow to maintain all basic costs.White stork villages - Klopot (cc 10.000 visitors), Pentowo (4000-6000), Zywkowo (4000-7000) visitors keeping balance of self-sufficiency, with existing personel problems (Zywkowo and Klopot exactly near the border, in "forgotten" land with not so easy access by local roads),with clear seasonal activities, Owczary (2000-2500) with smaller number of visitors, but with well established workshop activities in whole year thanks to improved accomodation standarts.
Rejection of exchange of materials between stations - they should stick to main topic (reason) of their existence, sale of materials from different NGOs on different from "the title topic" is not welcomed and correct.Extra funds needed for each individual extra festival or other event - local governments are interested in one event a year (Spring welcome to white storks).
Reconstructed and constructed facilities in Gruczno (The Lower Vistula River Friends Society )allow to organise one big festival of taste a year with 20000-30000 visitors during last weekend of August (necessary sponsors, exibition fee covers a modest part of total costs) and smaller events, including frequent visits of green schools and individual visitors or organised corporate smaller events (those can bring small profit).
These events despite of visibility and good possibility of "sale" basic problems of nature conservation
need professional staff delegated to this form of activity, so this potential is too risky sometimes for NGO capacity , existence and mission.
Infrastructural support from GEF/SGP was welcomed as the only one open to this kind of support with extreme hard conviction

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