Penguins are advocates for conservation

Lucy Waller, Education RangerWest Coast Penguin Trust Ranger, Lucy Waller, makes the case for penguins, loving them, conserving them and presenting them to children as a gateway to more conservation conversations.

Lucy explains that kids love penguins - penguins are the perfect advocate to present an environmental/conservation message to all ages. From one child, to a class of children, a school and from there to parents and their community, whole community shifts can happen and with that genuine environmental change. The local connection to nature makes conservation real and actions to make a difference more manageable.

Over the past year or so, Lucy has worked with St Patrick’s School in Greymouth as they have followed the Trust’s education resource, learned about local penguins and started taking actions to help them.

Read Lucy’s article for a UK environmental education journal here: Environmental Education journal article May 2018

Blue penguin facts by Milan, St Patrick’s School, Greymouth

Pouring plaster of Paris for casts of penguin prints, St Patricks, School at Camerons beach, July 2017

St Patrick’s School children and parents ready to install nest box at Camerons