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World Wetlands Day 2007: Sensitizing the Next Generation of Teachers

To commemorate World Wetlands Day 2007, the U.S. Embassy organized a two-hour seminar at the Higher Teachers’ Training College (Ecole Normale Supérieure), in Yaounde, on February 5, 2007. The program featured World Fish Center Senior Scientist Dr. Randall Brummett. In his presentation, entitled “Central African Rainforest Rivers: A Threatened Biodiversity Hotspot,” Dr. Brummett highlighted the importance of the region’s river ecosystem, and the threats overexploitation and lack of regulation pose to this invaluable resource. World Wetlands Day posters and stickers, provided by the Ramsar Secretariat, were ostensibly displayed in the conference hall. An Information Resource Center-generated informational packet on the Ramsar convention, the importance of wetlands and suggested content for teacher lesson plans was distributed to seminar participants.

Over 250 students and lecturers of the university’s Biology Department attended the seminar. All were very appreciative of the program and expressed interest in having more seminars on environmental issues. “We now have a better knowledge of the wetlands of Central Africa and the various fish species they contain,” a student commented. “The information gathered during this seminar will be very useful during our teaching career,” added another participant. (Photo gallery)