anet Wilson,
Catherine Gleave : personal
experiences in Kenya. The personal experiences gave stark
illustration of both positive and negative aspects of how
our lives depend upon and in turn hugely influence how
people in this far away country live. Our demands for cut
flowers and fresh vegetables out of season fuel a huge
industry, providing jobs, homes, clinics and schools. But
the resulting produce does not provide food for those doing
the work, and it is causing pollution of the local lake that
is putting the wildlife and hundreds of local people who
depend on it at great risk. In the Masai Mara they visited
with people living truly sustainable lives, preserving their
culture and the wildlife while deriving revenue from
tourism. The true meaning of local sustainability and the
economic value of wildlife was encapsulated in a sign at the
Arabuko Sekoke Forest: 'Three years ago nobody around the
forest ever dreamed they could earn money from its
butterflies. Now they know they can. What else is there in
the forest that can bring benefits to the people? We should
not destroy things whose value we don't yet understand.
Investing in biodiversity is investing in the future.'
Schools have a role to play in supporting projects and
building relationships with schools in developing countries,
to the huge benefit of both. We all know that the world is a
very small place and that we're all interconnected in so
many ways; we must begin living our lives in a way that
reflects this knowledge. Understanding our environment and
caring for each other must become much stronger components
of our curriculum. We have the opportunity to get this
right, to make a difference for all of our children.