by Sumin Kim, EAAFP intern
©EAAFP/Eugene Cheah
EAAFP Communication Officer Tomoko Ichikawa gave two lectures about migratory waterbirds and global warming to Korean students aged 9 to 10 who participated in the Green Climate Frontier summer camp in the last week of July. The camp was a three-day environmental education program organised by The State University of New York, Korea, with an aim to inspire green-conscious mind and thinking in the young. Tomoko talked to two groups of about 60 students each on 27 and 30 July. The students came from different primary schools located in Incheon, Republic of Korea.
Ice-breaking activity ©EAAFP/Eugene Cheah
The presentation titled ‘Spoon(-billed Sandpiper), Tidal Flats and Electricity’ stimulated students’ curiosity in terms of connections among these three things. Students learned about the reason why and the way how Spoon-billed Sandpiper migrates between the breeding ground in the north and the wintering ground in the south every year, and why mudflats are so important for migratory waterbirds during their journey. Tomoko delivered a strong message that global warming can also have a significant impact on the survival of migratory waterbirds as well as the one of human beings.
©EAAFP/Eugene Cheah
At the end the lectures, Tomoko asked the students what they could do to conserve waterbirds and their threatened habitats. They said they would reduce the use of fossil fuels and disposable products; let their family and friends know about the current situation that migratory waterbirds are facing; oppose reclamation in Songdo even if it’s little, and for a rather radical opinion, one student claimed that we can go back in time to the Joseon Dynasty period (14th to 19th century) in the Korean Peninsula, and learn from people’s lifestyle which would have had less negative impact to our planet.
A student holding an eraser, the weight of which represents that of a Spoon-billed Sandpiper ©EAAFP/Eugene Cheah
EAAFP senior intern Sumin translated the English lectures into Korean, and the other interns Joohee, Rossa, Jieun and Yoahn helped Tomoko to make the lectures fun and run smooth. All the vibrant pictures captured by Eugene are now available on Flickr – Click HERE to see them.
– Relevant Korean article: http://www.anewsa.com/detail.php?number=866889&thread=09r02
