On September 25, 2025, the International Carpathian School held its Autumn online session, marking the first official celebration of the Carpathian Day in Ukraine. The event was organized by the National Ecological Centre of Ukraine within the project “Shifting towards Ecotourism in Protected Areas through Heritage Interpretation”, co-financed by the governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia through the Visegrad Grants of the International Visegrad Fund.
Thematic areas
During the event, participants worked on the following key topics:
- cultural heritage and traditional knowledge;
- education for sustainable development and innovative educational formats;
- traditional ecological wisdom and tourism;
- water resources and their sustainable management;
- interdisciplinary research in the fields of natural, social, and medical sciences;
- prospects for mini-grants and youth cooperation.
Goals and participants
The session became a platform for international dialogue on the sustainable management of the Carpathians as both natural and cultural heritage. A total of 62 representatives of academic and educational institutions, environmental organizations, civic initiatives, and public authorities from Ukraine, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland joined the discussions. Special attention was given to sharing experiences in sustainable tourism, environmental education, and heritage interpretation in national parks.
Key events of the program
The plenary session was dedicated to the theme of international cooperation and the development of the Science for the Carpathians network. Welcoming words were delivered by Ruslan Havryliuk, Head of the National Ecological Centre of Ukraine and National Coordinator of the Ukrainian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum.
An important highlight of the Autumn session of the International Carpathian School was the participation of Harald Egerer, Head of the Carpathian Convention Secretariat, and Tamara Mytrofanenko, Senior Expert of the Secretariat.
In his speech, Mr. Egerer emphasized the exceptional role of the Carpathian Convention as a unifying instrument for the countries of the European continent. He devoted special attention to Ukraine’s active participation in the work of the Secretariat, noting its contribution to the development of regional cooperation. Mr. Egerer expressed deep interest in further cooperation with the National Ecological Centre of Ukraine (NECU) as the organizer of the Carpathian School and the initiator of the first Carpathian Day in Ukraine. He also assured participants of support for future initiatives, stressing the importance of youth involvement, in particular the delegation representing Ukraine at the 8th Carpathian Convention Forum in Bratislava.
For her part, Tamara Mytrofanenko highlighted best practices of international cooperation within the Science for the Carpathians (S4C) network. She emphasized the active participation of Joanna Zawiejska (Poland) and Michal Medek (Czechia) in implementing the grant program funded by the Visegrad Fund as an example of effective cross-border collaboration.
A presentation on international cooperation within the S4C network was delivered by Valerii Mykhailenko, expert of the National Ecological Centre of Ukraine. In his speech, he stressed that thanks to the active involvement of Ukrainian NGOs, provisions on the preservation of cultural heritage, support of traditional land use, as well as the development of ecological tourism and education were included in the Carpathian Convention. This clearly demonstrates how civil society can shape international environmental policy. In this context, the Carpathian School, which brought together researchers from Ukraine and the Visegrad countries, became a natural continuation of the S4C network’s activities.
The speaker also emphasized the important role of the S4C network, actively supported and developed by the Carpathian Convention Secretariat, and expressed hope for further expansion of cooperation in this area.
Partner presentations covered a wide range of topics: from national park research and educational opportunities in Czechia (Michal Medek) to cross-border cooperation between Slovakia and Ukraine (Ivan Matusek), and student reflections after the Carpathian Summer Field Trip (Marta Botar, Eszter Homoki-Nagy).
The practical part was dedicated to the results of project implementation and the prospects for introducing small grants in Ukraine’s national parks (Mykola Blyzniuk). The results of participation in international events Democracy Camp and Forum Carpaticum were presented by Yeva Batyhina and Hanna Strakovych.
Among the student and partner initiatives supported by the Visegrad Fund, the following projects were presented:
- Nature as Cultural Heritage: Interactive Zoological Room-Museum of Hutsulshchyna NNP (Veronika Popova, Olha Dymchenko)
- Without Borders: A Virtual Journey for Everyone in the Carpathian NNP (Yuliana Yakubiak, Ulyana Fedorova)
- Exploring Nature Conservation Heritage through Accessibility in Vyzhnytskyi National Nature Park (Valeriia Shvaiko, Yeva Batihina)
- Following the Darabs: A Recreational Project in Verkhovynskyi NNP (Vladyslav Zelenchuk, Vasyl Pitelak)
The roundtable united participants in a “marketplace of ideas” format, where development directions of the Science for the Carpathians network were discussed, including constructive proposals from representatives of the International Charitable Organization Information Centre “Green Dossier” (Tamara Malkova). The final discussions focused on prospects for international cooperation, supporting youth initiatives, and finding new formats of communication between researchers and practitioners.
Significance for the region
The Autumn session confirmed that the Carpathians are a space of active international partnership and innovative ideas. The event fostered stronger interregional cooperation, the development of environmentally oriented approaches to the management of protected areas, and the building of a network of sustainable development practitioners across the Carpathian region, while also expanding the Science for the Carpathians network.
We warmly thank all partners, speakers, and participants of the Autumn Session of the International Carpathian School for their active involvement, exchange of experiences, and inspiring ideas. Special gratitude goes to the International Visegrad Fund and the governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia for their support, which made this event possible.
Publication and visuals prepared by Yuliia Khrystynchenko
The project is co-financed by the Governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from International Visegrad Fund.
The mission of the fund is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.