Contest for the Award: Volunteers are Nature’s Peers

Volunteering in nature creates lasting bonds between people and natural resources. Although the volunteer engagement of citizens in nature conservation in Serbia is not officially appreciated and recognized enough, it is still traditional and widespread.

Motivated by years of work with volunteers on the protection and preservation of biodiversity and protected areas, the Young Researchers of Serbia are opening a competition for the award "Volunteers are Nature’s Peers" in order to give recognition and appreciation the exceptional engagement of individuals who volunteer through different activities in order to protect the nature.

This competition is open within the project "Together for the Environment" funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and implemented by the Belgrade Open School.

Through this award, we aim to stimulate protected area managers and citizens to work together on biodiversity conservation and nature protection.

By awarding the "Volunteers are Nature’s peers" award, we strive to increase citizen support for protected areas and promote volunteering as a social value. This award aims to promote the importance of involving volunteers in nature conservation activities, encourage initiatives by individuals and organized groups, as well as demonstrate the value of volunteering, collaboration, and citizen involvement in decision-making processes related to nature protection.

The decision on the recipient of the "Volunteers are Nature’s Peers 2023" award will be made by a commission composed of experts from institutions and civil society organizations.

The award ceremony will be held on May 22, 2023, on the International Day of Biodiversity.