Strengthen conservation education and awareness raising

In Thai society, everyone from local villages to large cities have a crucial role to play in the conservation of tigers since they are a part of Thai heritage and are key to a healthy ecosystem, both valued by the Thai people. Working with people helps to develop a partnership that strengthens protected areas and safeguards the wildlife inside these forests. As a result, they are delighted to be a part of the tiger conservation campaign and to work together to conserve and protect them.

Children are the hope and future of wildlife conservation. Equipping them with proper knowledge and appreciation for wildlife and ecosystems is an important first step in making them realise that humans are also a part of nature. The Tiger Recovery Program has conducted conservation campaigns for tigers and wildlife to encourage children to explore the world outside of their classrooms, providing them with a unique learning experience that goes beyond textbooks. Students are able to appreciate the tiger — the Lord of the Jungle — and other endangered species through a range of activities such as games, music (by the Big Cat band), exhibitions, videos, tiger conservation youth camps, the Tiger House, and the Tiger Learning Centre.

Other activities linked to the government education policy “Study Less and Learn More,” which encourages students to participate in activities outside of the classroom are also on offer. The programme emphasises a student-centred approach that complies with the framework of environmental education activities which focus on wildlife recovery practices such as habitat improvement (making salt licks) for ungulates, spotting wildlife tracks and signs, how to be river detectives, and community tiger conservation campaigns.

Giving children the opportunity to participate in such activities encourages them to develop a positive attitude towards tigers and wildlife conservation, whose very future rests
in their hands.