Wildlife Clubs and Environment Education - Out Reach Report

The Iwokrama outreach team is currently conducting outreach to wildlife clubs and primary schools for the months of May and June.  This programme is supported by the WWF Guianas and contributes to ongoing local monitoring initiatives that wildlife clubs have been working on for the past 3 years. Through the WWF support, Iwokrama has been able to purchase a pair of binoculars for each club in support of their bird monitoring, and the clubs have been showing their appreciation by coming out to bird watch at 6am, rain or shine!

Wildlife clubs allow members to gain first hand experience of natural resource management and encourage youths to develop the interest and skills necessary for management, organisation and governance issues.  Club activities provide fora for discussion of environmental and other issues, and are being developed to be an integral part of the wildlife management programme of the North Rupununi and Iwokrama. 

Outreach to communities also provides an opportunity for the team to visit the 15 primary schools of the North Rupununi and present a curriculum with a focus on sustainable resource use and monitoring, and highlights Iwokrama’s goal of sustainable timber harvesting as an example.  Teachers and students always anticipate the visits as teaching methods are dynamic, interactive and fun.

Heavy rains have made transportation and logistics challenging at times, and visits to two communities, Massara and Yakarinta have had to be rescheduled as the savannah road was underwater! 

The team looks forward to continuing outreach to the riverine communities in June.  Although it will probably be a rainy journey, it is always nice to feel welcome and to share and learn with each other.

Kwaimatta class – young students with a tapir, one of the players in the educational tool, the “felt forest”.

Yupukari Class – students from Yupukari Primary School watch a video, “Forest Family Forever”, produced by the Rainforest Action Network.

Wowetta bino – Ranger James Honorio, hands over a pair of binoculars to Fernado Wilson, president of the Wowetta Junior Wildlife Club.

Zack in Class – Forest Outreach Coordinator, Zack Norman, in Surama Primary school with the felt forest and it’s many layers.