Day 6.
Today, participants of the Open International Environmental Olympiad (IOCE) presented their projects following the team stage. The teams had to defend the sustainable development indicators they had developed earlier. One of the key aspects was to consider and justify the possibility of their application to their specific country or region, taking into account economic, geographical, natural, and political aspects.
The transparency of all rounds of the Olympiad was monitored by international consultants from four countries: India, Qatar, China, and Malaysia. Their task was to confirm the objectivity of the jury’s evaluations, ensure the transparency of the procedures, and uphold the principles of fairness at all stages of the intellectual competition.
Amit Malik, Director of International Cooperation at the International Alliance for the Conservation of big cats in New Delhi, is confident that all rounds of the environmental Olympiad were conducted transparently, without any violations.
"The IOCE organizers explained the tasks in detail and clarified how the jury would evaluate their work. Thanks to this information, it was easy to follow the progress of the intellectual competition. The school students demonstrated excellent results. I am confident that each of them will become a true ambassador for nature conservation, as they are a worthy generation of our planet," says Amit Malik.
For the international observers, the most amusing yet challenging part was the field stage of the practical round. Su Chen Lin, Senior Lecturer at the Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, University of Malaysia Sabah, noted that the international consultants were not physically prepared for the mini-expedition in the territory of the Sochi National Park.
"Of course, differences between countries were noticeable: some teams handled the tasks better than others. But all the students were motivated to do their project work well. I wish the participants success in their professional paths. I hope that, regardless of whether they choose the environmental field or not, their participation in the IOCE has strengthened their understanding of the need to protect nature. By spreading this knowledge among friends and family, they will be able to make their own positive contribution to our common cause," notes Su Chen Lin.
