AsiaConservationEducationLittle Green Guards®PrimatesVietnam

Improving Son Tra Biodiversity Curriculum – A Blueprint for the Future

One of the largest populations of the endangered red-shanked douc occurs on Son Tra Peninsula, only six miles from the center of Danang City in Vietnam.  The proximity of Son Tra to Danang provides a natural laboratory for introducing local schoolchildren to the wonders of their natural world. Since 2013 LVDI International has been working with GreenViet Biodiversity Conservation Centre in educating primary and secondary students in the Son Tra school district about the biology of the douc and other wildlife species (see post Celebrating Christmas with the Red-Shanked Douc). Ms. Trang Le Thi (Vietnam Education Program Coordinator) and Ms. Thanh Huong Dinh created 9 lessons for the Little Green Guards® program called Son Tra Biodiversity Curriculum, which was implemented in 4 schools (2 primary and 2 secondary) during the 2014-2015 school year. This curriculum has been well received, and at the request of the Son Tra Education Board, GreenViet and LVDI International will organize a teacher workshop to improve the lesson plans and produce an educator’s guide for teaching the conservation curriculum. LVDI International will sponsor the workshop and the creation of the educator’s guide in both Vietnamese and English. Ultimately, this educator’s guide will be used to train volunteer educators and teachers to perfect their curriculum delivery and broaden conservation impact in the future.