Neotropical Environmental Education--Conservation Projects
18 Jun 09
Goal:
Change human attitudes toward birds of prey, especially Harpy Eagles, to reduce persecution and help conserve their habitat and the biodiversity it contains.
A key to our success is the effort to enhance environmental awareness and build national pride among citizens so they will stop shooting eagles and will conserve tracts of unspoiled rainforest.
The Harpy Eagle Day Festival in Panama City drew 6,000 people in 2008, nearly twice the crowd of the previous year. The phenomenal growth of this event, which we began four years ago, builds understanding and appreciation for Panama’s national bird with games, puppet shows, folkloric dancing, a costume contest, and other family activities. The festival is a key part of our program to promote pride and reduce shooting of this spectacular rainforest raptor.
In 2008 we trained 60 teachers in methods of fostering conservation among students in rural schools located near Harpy Eagle habitat, bringing the total number of schools using our raptor education guide in their classes to 145. A DVD about our Neotropical Education Program and related activities was translated to English using subtitles to broaden its use as an educational and promotional tool.
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