Learning about conservation at Me Linh Biodiversity Research Station.

Raising awareness and knowledge about environmental justice, and overcoming existing weaknesses, will require a long and continuous commitment across multiple generations and a dedicated investment of enthusiasm, effort and money. Thanks to the support from the 1st Rufford grant in 2014, we have developed a field-based environmental education curriculum for students that is directly linked with the current national curriculum, putting students in contact with environmental problems and solutions in the real world. We have developed and implemented outdoor environmental education programs for primary and secondary schools that are closely linked to the content of the national curriculum and developed existing parks and biodiversity research centres into centres for field based environmental education. In addition, we have introduced very lively and hands-on teaching methods (the site visits, outdoor activities and environmental justice concept) to better reach Vietnam’s young people and to nurture a new generation of environmental leaders. These activities have been well received by different stakeholders. We have received second grant support to continue providing support to participated schools and classes to expand the scope and reach of this program.

Our ultimate goal will be to build and implement pilot programs and plan to coordinate and integrate education and environmental protection practices in schools to enhance the direct impact on students’ attitudes and behavior toward the environment. Through these efforts, we will gain practical experience in the integration of environmental justice with the official school curriculum.

To address the ecological and health concerns of Hanoi and the surrounding communities of Ba Vi and Tam Dao National parks, CED trains school children and youth from Hanoi environmental conservation, restoration, and horticulture through introducing concept of environmental justice and field-based programs. Our programs combine education sessions with hands-on and independent-exploration activities, drawing concrete linkages between human health, the environment, and urban quality of life. In one year, we plan to host about 500 school-kids at Ba Vi and Tam Dao national parks for free site-based education programs that link science curricula to real-life environmental health and justice issues.

Activities in the second grant include:

1. Expand the environmental justice curricula to include other subjects

2. Providing support for implementation of field-based activities using existing and newly developed curricula

3. Further advocate for changes in environment and conservation education (focusing on environment stewardship and environment justice) in Hanoi and surrounding provinces