Conservation Education


( Project BT0004 )

To increase awareness and long-term support for conservation in Bhutan, WWF is supporting the introduction of environmental studies into the national school system.

Initiated in 1989, the Conservation Education programme has greatly improved the scope and methods of conservation education in Bhutan. Annual workshops train teachers in environmental education and agricultural extension services. To date, more than 150 teachers have been trained. Curriculum incorporating environmental science, geography, and conservation has been developed. A network of school nature clubs and environmental camps has also been established. With assistance from WWF, several conservation education staff received hands-on training at Jordanhill College in the UK.

The long-term environmental education strategy developed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Nature (RSPN) and the Education Division will also be implemented under this project at both formal and non-formal levels. At the formal level, this ten-year strategy includes curriculum development, teacher training, annual quiz competitions, and a research programme for students called the "Environmental Award Scheme". The scheme encourages students to do practical research on a particular theme, such as water pollution or fuelwood consumption.

At the non-formal level of education, RSPN plans to work with religious groups, women's associations, consumer organizations and government agencies to increase public awareness of important conservation issues such as the sustainable use of resources, pollution control, and the preservation of biodiversity. Activities at this level are very important as the country has yet to reach its goal of primary education for all.

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Copyright 1996, The World Wide Fund For Nature