School and Community

WHY ENGAGING SCHOOL & COMMUNITY?

Vietnam has an astonishing diversity of fauna and flora, ranked 16th in the world. The country has numerous species which are found nowhere else on the Earth, but a few decades of rapid population expansion and urbanisation, coupled with a history of conflict, deforestation and exploitation, has driven many vulnerable to extinction. To help preserve Vietnam’s remarkable natural diversity, special attention should be paid to the root causes of this biodiversity loss: poverty, lack of education, gender inequality, inefficient law enforcement, habitat destruction, and over-exploitation. WildAct has been tackling these big challenges on multiple fronts with our school and community programs, together with other programs. 

We aim to increase awareness of the importance of local conservation not only for students but also the teachers and local communities, then empowering them to manage and conserve their own natural resources.

What we do

1. Inspiring and educating school children

Vietnam has a remarkable natural diversity with numerous species which are found nowhere else on Earth. However, Vietnamese children - the future generation have limited opportunities to learn about the wildlife and natural world. In order to tackle this issue, we develop a range of offline and online school activities for children aged from 7 to 15 in both protected areas and their buffer zones, in rural and urban areas.

Achievements

Through these projects, we aim to educate children by giving them information and knowledge about wildlife conservation in Vietnam, as well as changing their attitude towards wildlife conservation. We also aim to increase awareness of the importance of local conservation not only for students but also for the teachers and local communities, then empowering them to manage their own resources.

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students reached;
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books delivered;
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wild libraries established in 7 provinces.

WildAct wants to launch mobile exhibitions in order to bring conservation messages and stories of our endangered species and vital habitat to more children across remote areas in Vietnam. If you are interested in collaborating, fundraising, or co-designing this project, please CONTACT US for further discussion and planning.

2. Involving Local Communities in Conservation

There are 20 national parks and 14 nature reserves in Vietnam. Adjacent to these areas are poor households whose livelihoods depend on the surrounding ecosystems. These communities have had strong cultural and spiritual ties to the forest for generations. More than anyone, they understand that forest protection is important to their lives and they need to preserve nature in return.

Vietnam has a remarkable natural diversity with numerous species which are found nowhere else on Earth. However, Vietnamese children - the future generation have limited opportunities to learn about the wildlife and natural world. In order to tackle this issue, we develop a range of offline and online school activities for children aged from 7 to 15 in both protected areas and their buffer zones, in rural and urban areas. WildAct actively listens to their voices, assesses their needs, and provides them with technical and financial support to fulfil their work. At the same time, our program updates the communities on regulations on wildlife protection, as well as efforts and insights from conservation organisations and other industries. We want the locals to understand how the whole society is standing with them to protect their local ecosystem and sources of living. WildAct’s current community programs include:

Supporting local patrolling group

A community management and conservation model was established in Tuyen Hoa, Quang Binh Province, on a voluntary basis by a local nature conservation team, the forest protection department and the authorities of four communes: Thach Hoa, Dong Hoa, Thuan Hoa, and Son Hoa.

Working with Christian Community

WildAct collaborates with Catholic leaders in Ninh Binh province to raise local people’s awareness on illegal bird hunting. We aim to change their attitudes and behaviour towards bird hunting.

Establishing local conservation committees

A local conservation committee will be established in Chu Yang Sin National Park, Dak Lak Province to empower and encourage the local people to be directly involved in managing and protecting their natural resources in the park.

3. Supporting Communities’ Livelihood

The communities surrounding national parks or nature reserves often rely on natural resources for food, livelihoods, and traditional cultural practices. However, forestry exploitation leads to biodiversity loss, wildlife migration, and ecological imbalance which can weaken conservation efforts and put the community’s livelihoods at risk. In order to reduce negative impacts on natural resources and to support local communities in their conservation practices, WildAct helps sell local products, such as honey, to boost their income. Click HERE to buy local organic honey to support the Conservation Community Team at Tuyen Hoa, Quang Binh. Buying honey from this program, you help the patrolling group buy forest tools, safety insurance for those removing traps, and protect a herd of endangered Hatinh Langur in Tuyen Hoa, Quang Binh. 

Efforts of local communities in Tuyen Hoa have paid off! They have helped increase the population of endangered Hatinh Langur in the area, from only 10 individuals in 2012 to at least 156 individuals in 2022. 

In order to enhance the efficiency of langur conservation, WildAct has been supporting local people and authorities by providing necessary tools such as shoes, protective clothing, monthly subsidiary and supporting the locals in conducting surveys and patrolling. However, that is not enough. WildAct hopes to receive more support from the public so that we can help them buy health insurance, develop sustainable forest-based livelihood, remove traps, patrol, manage langur population and educate the local community about langur conservation. The local conservation team carry out these activities on a voluntary basis. We want to motivate them to maintain conservation activities as well as to replicate it to many other areas.

In addition, WildAct is working with potential tour operators and travel agencies to develop tourism in these areas. Aiming to build up a model of community-based responsible tourism, WildAct, and its partners hope the local communities can participate in and earn more income from these initiatives. At the same time, WildAct is searching for social entrepreneurs who are interested in helping local communities, especially women to increase their competencies in developing and running small-scale business models so that they can be more active in producing and selling their local products.