By: Marina Fagundes
Read the story in Portuguese here.
The ‘Friends of Shorebirds School’ initiative, led by the Association for the Conservation of Birds in Brazil (SAVE Brasil), provides training and support to teachers interested in incorporating conservation of shorebirds and their habitats into school curricula. This ongoing, fun and interdisciplinary approach takes environmental education to a different level.
The initiative’s main goal is to build the capacity of teachers to teach about the importance of shorebird conservation in the context of the community and nearby ecosystems. The initiative highlights how shorebirds and the local community’s livelihood are connected by the same environment including the nearby Lagoa do Peixe National Park, a WHSRN Site of International Importance. This can strengthen the feeling of belonging and the sense of responsibility for the environment. In addition, learning is more exciting since the subject is directly related to their daily lives.
In early 2023, as a result of the successful 2022 teacher training, the municipalities of Tavares and Mostardas, in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, signed a cooperation agreement with SAVE Brasil to make ‘Friends of Shorebirds Schools’ initiative an official part of their school curricula.
Left: Teachers from Mostardas during training on conservation of shorebirds and their habitats. Photo: Jonathan Tavares Right: Work developed by students of Tavares teachers that were trained by SAVE Brasil in 2022. They created games, drawings, poems, posters, factsheets about birds, bookmarks, books, nests made of recyclable material and origami, among other items. Photo: Marina Fagundes.
For Raquel Carvalho, Manager of SAVE Brasil’s Shorebird Program, teachers are vital partners for effective shorebird conservation at important sites such as Lagoa do Peixe. Building their capacity creates opportunities for enhanced education about birds and their environments.
“Teachers are our greatest allies in achieving our goal of incorporating conservation into school curricula and make shorebirds increasingly known in local communities. Teachers know the daily life of each student. They are the ones who live by Lagoa do Peixe’s biodiversity. They are the ones who have the expertise to speak the same language as the students and translate the information effectively. They are the best partners in this great endeavor of protecting shorebirds”, says Raquel.
She points out that one of the greatest qualities of the ‘Friends of Shorebirds School’ initiative is to provide teachers and schools with space for discussions and freedom to create. “Our job is just to teach important concepts, such as shorebird migration, identification, foraging, and the importance of Lagoa do Peixe National Park for this group of birds that is suffering great declines. Teachers are free to reflect and create environmental education activities in alignment with the subject and grades they teach. Everything that is created after the training comes from the teachers” she explains.
Delivery of the ‘Friends of Shorebirds School’ recognition plaque in Tavares. Photo: Marina Fagundes
After training the teachers, SAVE Brasil provides mentoring, support material, and monitor the implementation of the activities through school visits and online meetings. Some collaborative activities, such as birdwatching and conversation circles, are conducted as well.
According to Mostardas’ Secretary of Education, Rafaelle de Lemos Soares Machado, the cooperation between SAVE Brasil and the municipality can benefit not only teachers and students, but the entire community, strengthening the feeling of belonging and care for the environment.
“We only care for and value what we know and love. This is how I see it: if we do not understand that our lives are connected and dependent on the environment, we do not care for or preserve it”, she said. For Rafaelle, the students can become spokespeople for shorebirds, sharing with family and friends what they have learned regarding shorebird biology and conservation.
Left: Teachers from Tavares during the 2023 planning meeting. Photo: Marina Fagundes. Right: Exhibit of 2022 results – The Thematic Room that recreated environments of the Lagoa do Peixe National Park built by the Elementary State School on April 11th. Photo: Marina Fagundes.
For Tavares Secretary of Education, Nardel Nunes, the continuity of the training offered to teachers and the technical support provided by SAVE Brasil’s team has consistently increased knowledge about shorebirds. “If I had to give them a grade, they would certainly ace it!”, says Nunes. He believes the cooperation brings benefits such as the “creation of a network of contacts in favor of environmental conservation, especially of shorebirds”, and promotes the understanding of local ecology, socio-economy, culture and geology, which are often overlooked in school curricula.
In 2022, workshops conducted in the Lagoa do Peixe region trained 80 teachers and reached 1,400 students from the municipal and state schools. This year, 77 teachers from 13 schools in both municipalities have been trained.
To close the 2023 cycle, results of the initiative will be presented to the community during local events. The goal is to give visibility to the work developed by teachers and students, engage other community sectors and broaden the dialogue on shorebird conservation at Lagoa do Peixe National Park.
The Lagoa do Peixe Project is led by SAVE Brasil through the Shorebird Program, and supported by the WHSRN Executive Office, Manomet, Inc., and Bobolink Foundation.
Cover Photo: Students participating, through SAVE Brasil, in the 15th Brazilian Migratory Bird Festival in Tavares. Photo: Marina Fagundes.
