At BNF, we have adopted a multimodal approach to wildlife conservation. Alongside habitat protection measures and ecological research, we believe that environmental education has a vital role to play when it comes to saving the rainforest.
In celebration of Earth Day on the 28th of April, the BNF Education team arranged a unique activity for members of our Anak Sebangau and Sebangau Rangers youth clubs. This activity was supported by recipients of the Orangutan Caring Scholarship (OCS), awarded annually by the Orangutan Republik Foundation, and had been designed to teach young people all about planting and caring for trees.
14 children from Anak Sebangau and four Sebangau Rangers joined us for the event, during which our team delivered a series of talks about Earth Day and the importance of investing in our planet, even by small measures like planting trees and cutting down on waste. Five OCS students from the University of Palangka Raya then led an activity making seed balls.
“We are happy to deliver this special activity in recognition of Earth Day, improving young people’s awareness of nature and empowering them to look after their environment,” said Fani, one of the OCS students.
The seed balls were made up of seeds and balled-up paper pulp, which had been processed from wastepaper. They are used as a planting medium to replace plastic polybags during the germination process.
“We chose seed balls to engage the children’s interest in planting, as well as making use of wastepaper,” explained Abdul Khafidz, a member of BNF’s Education staff.
The seed balls created by our event attendees were left to grow naturally for two weeks until they were ready to be potted and taken home on the 13th of May.
Investing in our planet means investing in our children and their future by teaching them to value and care for the environment. Young people love to discover and explore, so the BNF Education team is always busy innovating new ways to make learning as much fun as possible.
Written by: Yohanes Prahara/BNF Indonesia