An Expert Explains How To Get Children Interested In Marine Conservation
It's never too early to start
By Sandhya Mahadevan -
Seventy per cent of our Earth is covered by water with over 96 per cent of that belonging to the oceans. Shocking as these stats are, the objective of its mention here is to drive home the point of how insignificant we are in this equation. Sadly, however, we make our presence felt by disregarding the very ecosystem that sustains our lives.
Blame it on rapid urbanisation, human greed, love for the fast life and last but not the least, callousness, our habits and lifestyle choices have compromised the purity of the waters, making it not conducive to support the biodiversity it houses.
But that’s not even the worst part. Compromised ocean health means an inability for climate regulation and oxygen generation, not to mention a huge dent in the world’s economy due to depleted food sources.
It’s now more important than ever to pick up the pieces of our lives and make a pact to give back to nature. The pandemic taught us that reality.
In an island state such as Singapore, where urbanism rules, we may feel far removed from the waters, ironically. But considering its marine biodiversity, the call is just as urgent, says Dr Toh Tai Chong, senior lecturer and Associate Director of Studies at the National University of Singapore. There are many myths around marine conservation and chief among them is that Singapore’s water is murky and there is nothing much left to conserve anyway.
“But the fact is that we have very beautiful coral reefs around the southern islands, and as much as one third of the world’s coral species has been recorded in Singapore,” he adds. “The reefs in Singapore (and around the world) are experiencing higher temperature and have bleached more frequently compared to two decades ago. A significant portion of the bleached corals eventually died.”
The marine biologist is also the co-founder of non-profit Our Singapore Reefs, which comprises a community of divers dedicated to coral preservation and rehabilitation.
The waters around Singapore have also seen some other diverse marine animals.
“A couple of years ago, we have also had a whale passing through Singapore and more recently, a dugong in our waters. Unfortunately, both were dead when they were found, and this highlights the problem our marine animals face.”
Morbid as that sounds, it’s the in-your-face reality kick we probably need, since scientists have been on the climate change conversation for some time now.
Now is the best time than there ever was to keep that conversation going with our children – the future change makers and marine conservationists.
As always where children are concerned, parents must lead by example. “Kids will emulate what we do and speak about, so we need to be mindful that when we educate them, our actions are equally important,” says Dr Toh.
Insisting on small habit-forming changes can make a big difference, something that people underestimate, he adds. Parents can teach their children to conserve water and electricity by doing their part as well. Consciously reduce if not able to avoid single-use plastic. All these can go a long way in reducing our carbon footprint.
It’s important to exercise patience, as children may not immediately pick up the conservation messages immediately – “it takes time and exposure,” says Dr Toh
But don’t give up as every little action or positive change we make in our lifestyle can impact our oceans.
Children are curious by nature, so channeling that through activities that are educational as they are fun. Nature-themed movies are a great way to get them interested in nature, says Dr Toh.
"There are a number of books and documentaries for children. I recommend the Lorax, documentaries such as The Hidden Lives of Pets to get children to build empathy for animals."
For younger children, there are a number of games. Dr Toh recommends the ones developed by Chaos Theory. Developed by three best friends at the young age of 12, the insightful games are developed with fun in mind but with conservation as the message.
For children over 12 years of age, Dr Toh recommends the card game, Reef Stakes developed by marine conservationists in Malaysia.
As Dr Toh mentioned, many of us are not aware of the rich biodiversity within our waters. In fact, until recently, many of us did not set out to discover the nature around us. Being bound to our shores forced us to explore.
Parents can do similar activities with children to interest them in marine conservation, says Dr Toh.
You can cycle or run along the coast with them and use that that as a topic of discussion of key issues, such as sea level rise.
Or join in guided walks to intertidal zones, coastal wetlands, and offshore islands to show them the beauty of Singapore’s marine biodiversity.
Our Singapore Reefs organises monthly coastal cleanup with Georges restaurant in Pasir Ris coupled with a talk by a local youth naturalist/conservationists.They have also co-developed a new “marine biologist badge” with Science Centre Singapore under the Young Scientist badge scheme, which includes a number of activities for children – ages seven and above.
Dr Toh also recommends enrolling children in scuba diving classes. "The minimum age is 10. My daughter has tried it once, and she really love it. We plan to let her take the certification in the months to come."
"Enjoy the process. Marine life is vibrant, and so are the activities that you could come up with. Think about what your children like and weave in the education part to make it fun."