Raising awareness about the coastal marine environment…
Earthna Center for a Sustainable Future, a non-profit policy research and advocacy center in Qatar, is at the forefront of promoting environmental awareness and education. By supporting schools, educators and students, Eartha aims to foster a deeper connection with nature through place-based educational materials, along with hands-on learning opportunities in environmental education.
As the national operator for the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) Eco-Schools program in Qatar, Earthna has developed interactive activities and place-based educational materials about Qatar’s coastal marine environment. These educational resources cover six ecosystems: the open Arabian gulf, the coral reef, the seagrass meadow, the mangrove forest, the intertidal beach, and the sabkha (i.e. coastal salt flat). By engaging with these, teachers and students can learn about the natural ecosystem and key environmental issues.
"These educational materials allow teachers and students to become immersed in local nature…to learn about nature conservation, how to protect and advocate for nature, how to become respectful stewards", said Dr. Aspa D. Chatziefthimiou, ecologist and environmental consultant at Earthna in Qatar.
… and bringing learners to nature
In addition to developing learning resources, Earthna partners with the community, including WISE-Doha Learning Days, Qatar National Library and the Earth Cubs educational platform, to organize nature excursions for schools and communities. These excursions educate participants about different ecosystems and promote efforts to protect and restore the environment.
During the excursions, students and teachers gain a profound understanding that they share the earth with other forms of life. For example, students are introduced to species that are unique to the mangrove site and get the chance to complete ‘Bingo Cards’. In addition, they carry out a sound map activity where they sit quietly and listen to sounds around them to identify species and connect them to their habitats.
“During the nature-based excursions, students learned that nature around them is unique and valuable to them and to the world. Most importantly, we were able to instill environmental values among students and community members such as responsibility, gratitude and empathy. We hope that these values will act as a compass that leads individuals to responsible behavior around the fragile ecosystems”, said Ruba Hinnawi, technical lead from Earthna.
A 9-year-old student, Abdel Rahman Al Houssain, who participated in one of these nature-based activities expressed his newfound appreciation: “This is my first time in the mangrove and I love nature from the Earth to the planets. I thought the whale sharks in Qatar are cute, but now I think mangroves are very special too.”
Forming the next generation of environmental stewards
Participants and project leaders at Earthna believe that this realization will lead to behavioral change and will shape more responsible, ethical and sustainable actions. By experiencing the direct impact of their actions on the health of the surrounding ecosystem, students will better understand their integral role in the environment on which their existence depends.
“Place-based knowledge creates a sense of belonging, serves as the impetus to grow local roots and become a force of change in crises facing nature, such as biodiversity loss and the climate emergency.” Explains Dr. Chatziefthimiou.
Such initiatives and the knowledge they create are important to support countries to meet their global commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals and the UNESCO ESD 2030 Roadmap. More importantly, they prepare the next generation to lead sustainable development efforts, prioritizing nature protection and regeneration and exploring solutions for environmental challenges.
The materials described in this article are available on the Earthna website in both English and Arabic.
As part of its work to strengthen education for sustainable development, UNESCO is spotlighting promising practices from organizations that are part of the ESD-Net for 2030 Global Network. These are in line with the five Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) action areas: advancing policy; transforming learning environments; building capacities of educators; empowering and mobilizing youth; and accelerating local level actions.
