Project teaches children, teens to protect giant pandas

China Children and Teenagers' Fund (CCTF) and China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) initiated the "Safeguarding the National Treasure Giant Panda," a public-welfare project, in Southwest China's Sichuan province, in December 2023. Since then, CCTF and the center have established a platform, for children and teenagers, to gain knowledge about giant pandas, and to help them gain an appreciation of giant panda culture.

The organizations have arranged several colorful, giant-panda-themed activities, including lectures, story sharing and book reading, in schools and communities, to publicize panda-related information, and also the importance of giant panda preservation and biodiversity protection, among the children and their families.

During the activities, the children are guided on how to raise their awareness of protecting both the environment and biodiversity, to participate in the protection of the giant pandas, and to promote the importance of protecting the environment and giant pandas.

Lectures on campuses

Since the project was launched, experts from the CCRCGP have given lectures on giant-panda-related information in schools in Beijing, Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, and Lanzhou, capital of Northwest China's Gansu Province. Experts have talked about giant pandas' growth and development, and about the pandas' living and feeding habits, and the experts have promoted the importance of the ecological protection of giant pandas' habitat. They have also guided students to read a picture book about giant pandas.

"I learned about the great importance of protecting giant pandas' living environment. I also learned about stories of giant panda guardians at the center. I am touched by their stories of crossing mountains to rescue wild pandas under difficult conditions," said one student.

In the future, more lectures (on giant pandas) will be provided under the project, to students across China, to publicize panda-protection-related knowledge, and to promote panda culture and stories of giant panda guardians.

'Serving' pandas

The CCRCGP has built a platform to help children and teenagers learn about the giant panda. During an activity, held at the center's base, in Dujiangyan, a city in Sichuan, the students did what they could do for the giant pandas. Under the guidance of experts, the children peeled bamboo shoots, made food for the giant pandas, and cleaned the pandas' living areas.

"I helped clean the living places for the giant pandas. I also obtained interesting knowledge about giant pandas. A fully grown panda produces about 150 pieces of excrement per day, and their feces can be used as organic fertilizer, or be made into environmentally friendly paper," said a child, named Xiaohua.

During the activity, an expert with the base conducted an interesting "lesson" attended by the children. The expert explained the giant pandas' characteristics and living habits, as well as the significance of protecting the ecological environment of pandas' habitats.

The children were deeply impressed by efforts of the base's staff to protect the giant pandas. Many of the children said they would do what they could to protect giant pandas, and other animals well, to ultimately help protect the earth — the shared home for all people.

"I never dreamed I could observe the giant pandas so closely. I also made their favorite food by hand! During the activity, I not only saw pandas up close, but also obtained panda-related knowledge. We need to protect forests and water, to protect the pandas' home," another child said.

Earlier this year, the base held a bamboo-planting activity, on National Tree Planting Day, which fell on March 12. More than 20 children or teenagers, from Chengdu and Jianyang, a city in Sichuan, participated.

They learned how to protect the giant pandas' habitat, and what kind of bamboo giant pandas like to eat. They also planted giant pandas' favorite bamboo, to help protect giant pandas and to contribute to the building of a beautiful China.

Source: CCTF

(Women of China English Monthly June 2024)