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Collection of short stories highlights importance of protecting native species and national cultural heritage
‘Stories from our environment – challenges and solutions’ by IFHC and ESE
A new book by Emirati students consisting of 16 short stories about the conservation of land and sea animals has been presented at the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (Adihex), which ends on 2 October.
The International Boba Conservation Foundation (IFHC) and the Emirates Schools Agency (ESE) present the book “Stories from Our Environment: Challenges and Solutions” in its second edition.
Conservation was a key theme of the short stories selected this year from the second short story challenge, a collaboration between IFHC and ESE. A total of 175 schools from across the UAE took part in the competition, with 16 student teams winning for their engaging and creative accounts of threatened species native to the UAE, such as houbara, falcon and antelope.
Mohammed Al Baidani, Director General of IFHC, said: “The second edition of ‘Stories from Our Environment: Challenges and Solutions’ is a testament to our young people’s work in species conservation and the protection of our rich Growing support and awareness of heritage. With strong support established by the Ministry of Education through UAE schools, this initiative is an integral part of our conservation education: the Houbara model. This innovative initiative uses the houbara as a flagship species for educational content , to explore issues surrounding sustainability and heritage.”
“Over the past few years, the Houbara model has had great success in educating younger generations about the importance of conservation through educational workshops and programmes.
Hamda Al Ameri, Senior Specialist, Educational Program, Pobara Conservation Foundation International, introduces the book
Students from each participating school were invited to participate in a short story competition, where they formed a team with a variety of skills and participated in conservation topics on the UAE’s native animals such as houbara, antelope, falcon, dugong, flamingo, Turtle, Arabian tar and dhub or spiny-tailed lizard. Each team is tasked with creating a short story that identifies threats to the species and provides solutions for its conservation.
One of the winners, now featured in the second book, Alia Salem Alblooshi from Um Al Emarat School-Al Ain said: “We are honoured to have been selected by IFHC and ESE as one of the winners of the second short story challenge .As part of a younger generation, we are serious about preemptive protection of endangered species to protect our future ecosystems. We are also very aware that not only is the actual life of the species in grave distress, but we are also at risk of obliterating us. We lost their legacy.”
“We are grateful for Conservation Education: Houbara’s model for giving us an understanding of what is really going on in the UAE’s native species and how we can be involved in saving their future.”
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Rayane Reda Khazri, a ninth grade student at Al Dhahera School in Al Ain, said: “I entered the International Hobara Conservation Foundation competition by creating a short story based on animal protection. My classmate Butti Al Zaabi and I chose to write a story. , the title is “Adventures of a Beautiful Bird”, which fits the theme of the competition. Before writing, we collected information on Fengyuan Bustard. After learning about the beauty of this bird, I appeal to everyone to protect this species. Lastly, I would like to thank the race organizers for this outstanding initiative.”
The Hohara Model aims to capture the essence of conservation education through a dynamic framework that includes three main practices that interact in complex ways. It builds on the theory that engaging students, teachers and the entire community will inspire a new generation of environmentalists who will help the UAE achieve its Sustainable Development Goals. The framework is able to reach a wider audience through the establishment of and close collaboration with the UAE schools of the Ministry of Education. As a result, the Houbara model is now fully integrated into the UAE national curriculum.
With the release of the two books written by the students, other schoolchildren have also learned more about conservation and are thinking about how they can be more involved in conservation, not only of species but also of cultural heritage.
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