KOROR (Palau Horizon) – The Palau Conservation Society continues its educational Ridge to Reef campaign, creating awareness especially to students the importance of island’s biodiversity and protection of the ecosystem.
According to Yalap T. Yalap, Education Programs Coordinator of Palau Conservation Society, the Ridge to Reef campaign is ongoing. “I visit schools twice a year. And we’re almost done this year,” he said.
Yalap talks to students about the importance of caring for the ecosystem and the environment and how everything is interrelated with each other. “I talk about genetic diversity, species diversity and ecosystem diversity.”
Through the program, he said the students learn the reasons why we need to protect the environment. “They learn the importance of coral reefs to the ecosystem, to the island, to the habitats, to the sharks, to the clams, and to everything that we have.”
Last year, the Palau Conservation Society worked together with the Micronesian Shark Foundation and introduced Finny the Shark and Shark Ranger Tim to students to explain to them in a fun way the importance of sharks in the ecosystem.
“The Palau Conservation society has an amazing program,” said Tova Harel- Bornovski, founder and director of the Micronesian Shark Foundation. “We joined them and we covered all the schools, all fifth graders.”
The serious guy, Shark Ranger Tim, spoke the importance of sharks to the ocean, to the reef, to the eco-system. While Finny the Shark, danced and joked with the children.
