Rainforest Concern

Environmental Education at Santa Lucia

2007: The British Embassy in Quito has recently approved funding for Rainforest Concern and the Santa Lucia Co-operative to run and environmental education project this year. 

The funding will cover environmental education workshops over a 6 month period for primary school children from grades 4 to 6, involving two local primary schools. In addition two workshops will be held for a group of children that do not attend school. The workshops will include the following: discussion about "Do's and Don'ts" in the reserve; a guided hike up to the lodge in the heart of the cloud forest; games and activities to learn about the forest's flora and fauna and to promote nature appreciation and awareness of conservation issues. Two trained local guides from the Santa Lucía Reserve will lead the groups. Another activity the project will encompass is work with Esmeraldas School in Nanegal to improve its waste disposal. The aim is for children and teachers to understand and put into practice basic concepts of environmentally responsible waste disposal.

Education is under resourced and standards are low particularly at primary level and in rural areas. While environmental education is on the national curriculum, teachers do not have the knowledge to make this subject meaningful and thus welcome the opportunity to increase their capacity in this area.