Sowing Seeds of Change: Galápagos and the Power of Environmental Education

"Environmental Vision" uses a practical and playful approach to environmental education. Thanks to this program, 138 seventh-grade students from three schools in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristóbal Island - Liceo Galápagos, Alejandro Alvear, and San Cristóbal - have gained a new perspective on the environment.

Throughout the 8-month academic year, we held monthly theoretical and practical classes. These sessions included videos, slides, and pictures showcasing Jocotoco's conservation work on our own Los Petreles reserve, the Galapagos Marine Reserve, and Floreana Island, where we are collaboratively leading rewilding efforts to bring back wildlife that disappeared from the island generations ago.

Learning was combined with hands-on experiences, including assembling puzzles of the marine reserve and using camera traps and other equipment to monitor Galapagos Petrels, an endangered seabird that only nests in the Galapagos, including our Los Petreles reserve. The children had a firsthand experience of the observation process, which kept them engaged. Jacob Guachisaca and Eduardo Ríos, the environmental educators who provided innovative knowledge, took them to the Los Petreles reserve at the end of the course, capping a successful program.

The program was supported by Rainforest Trust and external collaborators, including Frente Insular de la Reserva Marina de Galápagos and Galápagos Infinito, who provided educational materials to enhance students' learning.