Relevance of forests for biodiversity education

The Sinharaja Ranforest

By Surya Vishwa

This is a proposal to include biodiversity education in schools and universities. This list of recommendations is based on our current coverage/s of Sinharaja rainforest. We will be focusing in our future writings on the interlink between sustainability, tourism and national revenue making through the significance of this rainforest. This current set of recommendations is for the education sector in Sri Lanka to include nature/bio diversity/ecosystem education by including actual visits to rainforests/forests. The options of linking with the private sector to enable this can be explored. 

Rainforests are the gifts of nature to man. They are crafted entirely by the hands of sky and earth without any help from humans. They are therefore marvels in how this earth can teach us to live – and let live. We have today some attempts at educating adults on sustainability especially in sectors such as tourism. However there is little focus on sustainability education for children and youth through observing biodiversity. Our education sector is far removed from the natural world. We teach about nature, as part of science or social science, from classrooms. What is direly needed is for students to get to the natural world and learn not bits and pieces of nature but the whole realm. The best course is that nature teaches it herself. 

Below are the recommendations:

1.For all schools of Sri Lanka, from primary classes onwards to commence forest visits at least thrice a year and for the Presidential Secretariat to support these visits if possible from its funds while exploring a national drive where the private sector involves itself in this endeavour. 

There are many companies out there who can well afford to sponsor half if not all schools to engage in an initiative as this. 

2.For the education system to be changed to facilitate children spending more time on their own in nature and for their homework to be nature oriented and to include visual education such as through painting and photography. The students can be encouraged to draw nature and to write corelating analysis on the sustainability aspects of trees, forests and water and the consequences as observed in real life, as to what occurs when these resources are vandalised and abused. It could be worked out that the children write their essays while in the forests itself engaging in discussions from those well versed in the vicissitudes of nature (to discourage resorting to copying from the internet).

3.For students to be encouraged the practice of mindfulness meditation in locations such as rainforests and draw from differing spiritual traditions that teach about the sacredness of the natural world. This will encourage the Dharma to be woven into actual real life practice where after such meditation practice the children and youth can be encouraged to write analysis on the link between the Dharma, natural resources and their safeguarding. contd. on page 09

 

Relevance...

Aspects of sustainability in Buddhism as taught by the Buddha where forest dwelling monks were taught the sustainability of a Buddhist robe. Without allowing the attire of monks to go to waste after they wear it for a long time, they were advised to use the torn material as covering from the cold at night, as doormats and as material that can clean up spaces and finally when that too is used up to wedge it between brick or clay when constructing a premises for meditation. 

4.Children and youth can be made to make lists of trees that are currently in areas such as Sinharaja and research about their uses. They could then be instructed to research on the trees that existed in Sinharaja 50 years ago and make a list of any extinct trees. They can then analyse the value of those trees and what the loss means to the ecosystem.

5.Today’s children and youth grow up without learning to appreciate biodiversity that is around us. Through this initiative – by closing the gap between students and rainforests they can learn how nature evolves. Using art as a learning therapy every student can be asked to draw and paint an insect or bird they see in the wild. They can then be asked to write analytical essays on sustainability in real life and what it means to supporting the long life of these creatures. 

6.In today’s education system what is noticed is the lack of innovative thinking being encouraged with the pressure merely being towards passing exams by memorisation. As a bid to change this and thereby transform the future of the country children can be asked – after they visit the rainforests to start their own unique initiative towards sustainability and the protection of biodiversity and forests. 

7.As above they can be encouraged to meet forest guides and others who have close affinity to the wild who can advise on many inventions that could be created that will replace non bio degradable products. Each child can write an essay on their own choice and how they hope it would change their lives and that of others. This could be one way that we lay the foundation of innovation in young minds. 

8.As linked to above school children and youth could join in a systematic and purposeful manner the goal of cleaning Sri Lanka of trash and themselves adopt sustainable ways or recycling and disposing of trash.

(To be continued)