Region: Balkans, Central and Eastern Europe, Czech Republic
Author: Milan Kubacka/ Czech Union of Nature Conservationists - Opava
Consortium Member: EPCE Czech Republic
Status: Needs Funding
Budget: $1353
Collected: $0
Needs: $1353
Goal: The main focus of the project is to set up and operate a natural history museum and educational trail in the Preveza region of Northern Greece.
Comment: This Czech - Greek cooperative effort could be a model of east-west cooperation in the post-Cold War era.
The idea of museum development came from Opava, a Czech non-profit organization focusing on nature conservation and environmental education. Starting in 1995, a group of about 15 Czech conservationists began detailed research of the Preveza region and in cooperation with local Greek authorities set up a museum showcasing wildlife and plants of the region, as well as natural history phenomena, such as samples of prehistoric bones found by Czech scientists during the project development. The museum will be open to public in spring of 1999. Future research and student exchanges are vital for the project in order to create an "interactive museum" that is not just a building but activities associated with the building as well.
Due to lack of finances from the Greek side and very limited funds of the Czech conservationists (the Czech participants have covered most of the past expenses with money from their own pockets) more funds are sought in order to be able to open the museum for the public, and make it a continuous international research and environmental education project. Such a project can truly be used as a model of East-West cooperation or as an example of EU-post-communist country cooperation. Current participants in the project include: Preveza Muncipality; Greek Ministry for the Environment & Public Works; Environmental Society of Preveza; Palacky University of Olomouc; EPCE-Czech Republic; Czech Union of Nature Conservationists - Opava; and five private Czech businesses.
(The total budget of the project is $6,700; however, the project coordinators are requesting only $1230 from the Virtual Foundation.)
| Design, installation of information panels | $330 |
| Films for photodocumentation | $300 |
| Printing information materials | $300 |
| Communication expenses | $300 |
| VF Administrative Cost (10%) | $123 |
| Total | $1230 |