Skip to content
School children on tropical Palm Island, off the north Queensland coast, have swapped their classroom for the beach to take part in the Reef guardian schools project.
The program, initiated in 2003, aims to see students, teachers, their communities and local environmental agencies make positive environmental changes for the marine environment. Students team up with others in their community to actively participate in activities aimed at improving catchments, water quality, sustainability, and reef health. This includes environmental and sustainability projects within their classrooms, their school grounds and local areas such as native habitat revegetation, cleaning up beaches and recycling.
Principal of the Palm Island school Gary Recklies says while there are some grumbles about picking up rubbish, the children understand why it is important to protect the environment. 'As stewards of the environment, which Indigenous people naturally are, it's an integral part of their identity.'
Source: ABC Rural