Kids
In addition to distributing information about the baboon-human interface to people of all ages, one of our further goals at Imfene is to design and produce educational material that uses
the behaviour and ecology of baboons and other primates to illustrate
concepts in ecology, behavioural biology, evolution, and conservation. We
will develop learning modules that integrate traditional workbooks and
classroom activities with internet-based interactive modules. We envision
using live digital feeds from ongoing research projects that bring 'stories
from the field' into the classroom; such footage can also be used for
research projects at higher grades.
Given the familiarity of baboons to most South African children – and children across Africa – we see baboons as an excellent illustrative source of information and inspiration for children of all ages. We hope that the use of cutting-edge technology will help get kids interested and the behaviour of the baboons themselves will help keep kids interested. Ultimately, we aim to foster a generation of children that are scientifically and ecologically literate and that care about the conservation of our natural heritage.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) argues that science and technology education is an integral component of attaining sustainable development and poverty reduction. They also state that educational systems are faced with the challenge of science and technology education that have lost relevance by not being able to adapt to current scientific and technological developments. We agree with this assessment. Moreover, we believe that the species that we study, the baboon (Papio hamadryas), can provide an excellent model with which to teach basic principles in the biological sciences and conservation that are essential to global ecological awareness. By integrating the latest technological advances with an educational focus on baboons in their natural world, we can generate interest and enthusiasm in science, conservation, and how we, as humans, are influenced by and can influence the world around us.
The outcome of this strategy will be generations of children:
- who have real empathy for their natural environment,
- who understand and embrace conservation issues, and
- who are equipped with the necessary scientific literacy to lead us to a sustainable future.
