Children of a Chisinau kindergarten paid a visit to the Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment, where they attended a public lesson about Moldova’s Red Book. The children said they learned many things about the plants and animals on the verge of extinction and what they should do to protect them, IPN reports.

Vitalie Grimalschi, head of the Biodiversity Policy Division, said love for plants and animals should be cultivated from an early age. It is important for the successors to responsibly manage the natural heritage, including flora and fauna, so as to transmit it in a better state to the future generations.

Rodica Cearca, the teacher who accompanied the children, said these were eager to find out about the Red Book. “They are glad when we leave the precincts of the kindergarten to learn more about different subjects. The obtaining of information about the Red Book is an important element in cultivating patriotism in our generations,” stated the teacher.

Such a public lesson about the Red Book was staged for the first time and the organizers intend to extend the initiative and to invite also children of a school age to the Ministry.

The number of species that are on the verge of extinction has increased alarmingly during the last few years. The first edition of Moldova’s Red Book published in 1976 included about 50 rare species, the second of 2001 - 126 species of plants and 116 species of animals, while the third of 2015 – over 400 species. The human factor and climate change are the most often causes that lead to the disappearance of species.