While all participants entered a training program, the winners won an extraordinary trip to Antarctica, for which they also had to prepare their minds and bodies.
On that trip, they also learned about the scientists who monitor the climate station and the site. There they saw how everything is interconnected and that their local projects had an impact on climate at the local level.
1) Funding: each expedition required financial resources that were managed by companies that sponsored the program.
2) Agreements with scientists or administrators of the Natural Protected Areas. The sites visited are not open to the public, so visiting them involved a process to obtain the appropriate permits.
It was very expensive to take them to Antarctica and it was only possible to take very few teams. That is why we started to give prizes to more teams, taking them to other natural protected areas, closed to mass visitation, where more children could have a learning experience and a larger number of children would be selected as winners.
The transformation of meaningful learning comes precisely when the elements of knowledge and contact with nature converge for the participants, including 4 key values: 1) Building character, 2) Order, 3) Respect and 4) Unity or Solidarity.
Each activity, each expedition brings with it the strengthening of the participants' learning, with sensory and emotional exercises.
In the case of the Karla Wheelock Foundation, it was she who developed all the programs, planned the logistics of each trip, created the agreements and sought funding. In order to do so, she was also in an ongoing learning process where every day she had to become even more professional.
The process gave rise to a learning model, where the children learned, the trainers learned from the children, the parents learned from their children, the school learned from its students and the program learned with each expedition in order to improve its performance.
Launch a call to public schools in Mexico City for five children and one student to propose an environmental project for their schools.
Agreements with the Ministry of Education that would allow the issuance of a call for action in public schools.
1. Both children and teachers were not clear about what it means to undertake an environmental project, so this had to be taken into consideration.
2. The work to keep the government involved is complex because it must be managed with each governmental change and that becomes a very tiring endeavour, so we are now looking to create a legal initiative where children must prepare an environmental project in their schools in order to graduate.
Balancing Mafia Island's inhabitants' needs and conservation imperatives
Mangrove restoration
Mafia Island Marine Park
The MIMP was established primarily to conserve biodiversity, and end highly destructive fishing practices used by migrant fishers. It was also in the interest of the local fishers. However, it was essential to take in account the inhabitants' needs and reliance on the natural resources. So, on one hand, the MPRU staff provided environmental conservation and awareness raising on resources use & management, and on the other hand, they improved the infrastructures for schooling, health and water supply. Law enforcement is also applied towards culprits and community members reluctant to follow the rules. In turn, the villagers who respect them are encouraged and praised.
Support for children school fees so that they keep going to school.
Village level infrastructures, such as dispensaries, classrooms, water supplies.
Exchange visits organised for MIMP inhabitants to learn about success stories, such as seaweed women farmers in Zanzibar, in conservation activities in Mozambique
Training on Community-based Natural Resources Management provided to community men and women, by designated college teachers.
Benefit sharing mechanisms from conservation (total collection from tourism entry fees).
Once communities see the benefits given by the Park, they fully engage and participate. Benefit sharing mechanism is key for success.
People see that conservation brings benefits in terms of resources, such as good fish catch. It has attracted migrant fishers. However, local fishers engage and voluntarily report on illegal incidences, or migrant fishers without permits. Each village decides how many migrants they can accommodate.
Once the students complete school, thanks to scholarship and sponsorship, they come back and work as village leaders, contributing towards putting effort in conservation, as well as their parents who see the benefits, also engage in conservation activities.
The MIMP is managed by the Marine Parks and Reserves Unit (MPRU), which is the government office in charge of marine protected areas, together with the Village Liaison Offices, that were put in place in each of the 11 villages of the Park.
The participatory management approach applied by both parties, has built a strong foundation for communities members to participate in the decision-making. Different methods were applied to foster broad participation, such as meetings with VLO and other stakeholders, focus group discussions with different resource user groups, special interviews and discussions with key and influential people.
Good leadership among MPRU staff and village representatives.
Transparency and consistent sharing of information for combating illegal fishing.
Environmental education and awareness raising.
Trust built with communities members.
Communities needs taken in account by the management bodies.
Communities need to see impacts, and visible actions. Once we fulfilled their needs, trust will araise. From there, everything is possible.
Most of communities understand about the park's action, and engaged with the MPRU, in raising awareness and management activities. Community members inform and raise consciousness among their peers.
Trust goes both ways. MPRU needs to trust the community members as well (e.g. permits delivery for mangrove wood use).
