How to inspire curiosity about biodiversity in youth

What a difference an hour makes. 

There I was reading that Australia is still scoring an F because of its disastrous record on protecting and saving biodiversity in the indigenous plant animal and insect populations. 

And get this: electorates in all States and Territories in Australia have electorates where the number of threatened species is over 100, some as high as 270, and, equally horrifying, nearly 380 nationally listed threatened species inhabit urban areas across the country. 

Tracy Rout, one of the WWF lead authors of the report that awarded the F ranking to Australia  said that ‘without an immediate change in how Australia chooses to address its species crisis, we will leave a tragic legacy of extinction and fail our obligations to future generations of Australians.’

An hour later I’m in my car listening to Kirsten Ryan from the Werribee Zoo discussing the educational program she’s leading that seeks to engage young people in understanding the need to protect that same wonderful and unique biodiversity. She’s identifying amazing and positive initiatives that are designed to enlighten and tickle the curiosity of primary and secondary school children without making them feel the heavy burden of responsibility for the current state of Australia’s failure. 

And I know that all over Australia brilliant projects and stories are being developed to help turn around that disappointing F. 

Let’s hope so.

My book ‘Azita and Me’ is one such story that introduces primary school children and young teenagers to the issues of biodiversity protection, in an easily acceptable way that implies no blame. 

Its focus is the insect world, and it makes the point that no matter how apparently insignificant an insect web of life is, its biodiversity is in some way relevant to our daily life. 

Holly, the twelve year old heroine, treads a turbulent path in Year 7 to discover this truth.

Find out about Azita and Me here.