Educate Children; Foster Sustainable Conservation Approach
Sustainable Conservation Approach cannot be thought from illiterate and unconscious community because they cannot separate, “Wrong and Right”. When people do not have knowledge of conservation opportunities, they never participate in conservation activities, if they, that will keep no or less meaning.
To make the active and meaningful participation of people, knowledge/education should be delivered to them otherwise our conservation efforts will be wrathful.
Due to less aware and illiterate, most of rural people in Nepal are practicing destruction based Income Generation Activities. In my opinion, such issue is same to other countries as well.
In other hand, children, future dwellers, are deprived from the education which is the foremost threat of conservation. If we wish “Sustainable Conservation or Resource for Future”, educating children will be the first step.
If you, reader, are in the favor or against regarding this topic or you have experience of new ideas, all of you are welcome to make clear or mainstream on this tag “Educate Children; Foster the Sustainable Conservation Approach”.
Thank You
Suman Bhattarai
PARC, Nepal
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Educate Children; Foster the Sustainable Conservation Approach
yes children are the future generation. today we have a responsibility of instilling values to them. if we don't educate them now about conservation, they go into the future without an idea about it. we have not lead by example for instance in my country Kenya in many places all children see is destruction and degradation. To foster the sustainable conservation approach, i agree we must educate children. We have a chance to do it now by example and educating them through formal and informal systems.
Educate Children; Foster Sustainable Conservation Approach
Dear Faith! Thank you for the sharing
Nepal has also same problem in conservation. People, who live in buffer-zone of conservation areas, are poor and they use to send their children for livestock raring, firewood and fodder collection and other agricultural activities instead of school. Children are not getting chance of education so that sustainable conservation is always in doubt in Nepal.
Similarly, most of rich people in buffer-zone are businessman. Their businesses are totally depending on tourism and the main basis of tourism is wildlife and nature. They are able to afford their children education so they use to send their aboard and outside the district. They believed that their children will earn more money with education in third country.
Both, rich and poor people want to hand over all opportunities what they have in these days. People labor hard to earn money for their generation but they never think to save the source and basis of income. They are not paying attention to teach their children about the nature and wildlife conservation as much as need. They are only paying attention How to earn money and how our children’s life will be easier in future.
So Faith, it is necessary to conduct non formal education for parents and both non formal and formal education for the children about the Wildlife and Nature for the Future.
Suman Bhattarai
Team Leader
PARC/Nepal
Chitwan, Nepal
parc@rhinonepal.org
www.rhinonepal.crg
conservation education
Dear Suman and Faith,
you are both correct. In my experience, the most important thing in community conservation is a cohesive community. If there is a feeling, such as is rampant in north India, that, "If I do not take that, someone else will," then common property such as forest will be brutally exploited. If there is a well protected forest with a cohesive community, then external elements, usually crimial and rich, make efforts to grab those resources.
True, education of the local people in these matters is important, but so is an efficient administration. Without that, people have to either take the law into their own hands to protect their resources or else exploit those resources themselves before the mafia moves in.
On the fringes of protected areas, it is easier to make people realise the benefits that can accrue to them if they protect the forests, in the form of tourism based cash inflow. In such cases, not only eduation, but vocational training, eg. guides, drivers, inn-keepers, etc, is essential to provide the sort of services that modern tourists are willing to pay for.
Educate Children; Foster Sustainable Conservation Approach
Once again I am herewith you peter to add one experience.
No doubt, children are the future generation to whom responsibilities of natural resource conservation/management will be handed over within some years. In some places of Nepal, Children are still learning about hunting instead of conservation from their childhood which indicates people are unaware about conservation importance or they are embracing their ancient cultural. Sustainable conservation/management of natural resource/wildlife can be expected if only these future generations realized conservation. Otherwise sustainable and effective conservation cannot be expected further long.
Children use to learn how to make and use local weapons; GULELI / RUBBER BAND for bird hunting and TARO / ARROW for fishing from the age of 8 years. To emerge the young generation from this situation or to strengthen sustainable conservation, it is essential to install knowledge of conservation to them. Children will deal accordingly in future what they learned in their childhood or boy/girlhood or today. Therefore we, conservationists, should encourage rural people for their children education at first while conducting conservation awareness programs.
Suman Bhattarai
PARC/Nepal