The Role of Education in Wildlife Conservation: How Schools Can Make a

Each year, on March 3rd, the world observes World Wildlife Day, a day devoted to honoring the flora and fauna of our planet. The date was first allotted by the UN in its 68th session on 20 December 2013 to commemorate wildlife across the globe. It has become a tradition since, in which the UN assigns a particular theme each year.

In 2024, for instance, the theme was “Connecting People and Planet: Exploring Digital Innovation in Wildlife Conservation,” while in 2023, it was “Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation”. The sole purpose of assigning a theme is to draw attention to wildlife conservation.

What is Wildlife Conservation?

In more recent years, our planet has managed to sustain itself through harsh conditions ranging from global warming and wildfires to animal poaching. It goes without saying that it is high time we look back on our actions and begin reforming.

World Wildlife Day is simply an attempt to evoke a concise and collective understanding that our animal life is in grave danger. From advocating the use of sustainable products to educating children about the importance of wildlife as an indispensable part of nature, there is an ongoing effort in full swing.

How does Education bring Awareness?

To bring about change, one should begin in schools, i.e., by shaping young minds to foster a sense of responsibility towards wildlife. School curriculums should focus on prioritizing textbooks and lesson plans solely dedicated to understanding the vitality of animal life. While studying only textbooks might seem mundane or overbearing to students, teachers should engage their pupils by organizing various creative activities such as tree plantation and visiting zoos and museums.

These activities play a pivotal role in helping them understand how human life and wildlife are interconnected, i.e., one is incomplete without the other. However, this should not be simply limited to young students. Adults are equally responsible for the preservation of nature, not to mention, their actions have debilitated the condition of natural life to a great extent.

Therefore it is crucial to educate students from an earlier stage of the adverse effects that human negligence brings upon the natural habitat of animals. For instance, the crux of World Wildlife Day is to teach them the proper usage of sustainable products as well as the implementation of greener alternatives and how these choices made in the present greatly and significantly alter their future.

Measures to Maximize Engagement:

There is no better way to properly inculcate in the students the importance of biodiversity than by including them in the movement themselves. Schools can organize science fairs and field trips to wildlife sanctuaries to boost their involvement and interest in wildlife.
Visit NGOs and other conservation organizations to give them a transparent idea of how people around them are constantly striving to aid Mother Nature and prevent its further depreciation.
Introduce to them the 3Rs of environmental conservation— Reduce, Recycle, and Reuse. Employing these tactics can help reduce carbon emissions thereby mitigating the dangers imposed on the plant as well as the animal species. Help them understand the impact of plastic waste and oil spillage on sea life.
Try to minimize using plastic lunch boxes, plastic straws, or unnecessary school supplies that are laced with harmful toxins. Instead, switch to biodegradable supplies made from sustainable products such as recycled papers and pens, refillable pens, eco-friendly backpacks, etc.
Encourage them to actively participate in volunteering activities in animal shelters and pet-centric workshops where they can learn in a real-world setting and develop a sense of empathy towards our planet.

Wildlife Day: A Promise to Our Planet

With each passing year, the urgency to amend the damages made to our flora and fauna increases exponentially. Whether it be the devastating wildfires ravaging through forests, endangering animal and plant life, or the trade of animal poaching, all indicate that human-wildlife coexistence has been jeopardized.

The World Wildlife Day endeavors to fulfill the needs of our beloved animal life. It is time to rectify the choices made in the past and to reevaluate the ones to be made in the future.

Conclusion

Wildlife conservation is not an individual effort. Schools and universities must collectively work and encourage students to make conscious efforts to increase the sustainability of our planet, transforming it for the future good.