The South Rupununi Conservation Society (SRCS) has been selected as one of three finalists for the prestigious St Andrews Prize for the Environment for their project titled “Transforming Environmental Education in Guyana”.

The St Andrews Prize for the Environment is an annual international award conferred to an innovative and impactful environment initiative by the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Winning entries are selected by a judging panel based on their ability to significantly address a major environmental issue. Each year three finalists are selected with the winner receiving $95,000 USD.

Since 2018, the SRCS have been developing an Environmental Education model targeted at 8 to 18 year olds which combines scientific knowledge with Indigenous Knowledge, and uses a mixture of practical and classroom based activities. The model encompasses a two year curriculum whereby in the first year children learn about their local wildlife, environment and culture, and in the second year, children are empowered to design, implement and analyze a citizen science project in their community. To date, the model has been implemented in over 20 communities in Region 9 to more than 2000 students.

Due to the success of the model in Region 9, the SRCS has supported Guyanese counterparts to adapt and develop the model for their context. In Regions 4 and 6, the SRCS has partnered with the Guyana Wildlife Conservation and Management Commission (GWCMC) and in Region 1, the SRCS is collaborating with the Guyana Marine Conservation Society (GMCS). It is planned that the project will create a national environmental education curriculum that would be available to all Guyanese. Further, the SRCS are developing a guidebook which will help interested communities around the world to develop their own curriculums for their local landscapes.

SRCS President, Mr. Leroy Ignacio said: “It is an honour to be selected for the prestigious St Andrews Prize for the Environment. Even being selected as a finalist validates our work and gives us the opportunity to continue educating, inspiring and empowering our youth.”

He added: “When we first formalized our environmental education curriculum, we found that many students could readily identify giraffes and elephants, species not found in Guyana, but were far less familiar with local species similar to a jaguar, such as jaguarundis and ocelots. These findings reflect a gradual decline in local ecological knowledge across generations. After participating in our classes, students demonstrate greater confidence in their own knowledge and a deeper understanding of their biodiversity and how to protect it.”

The project has been supported since 2018 by the Sustainable Wildlife Management Programme which is a European Union funded initiative that is being nationally implemented by the GWCMC.

Ms. Alyssa Melville, the SRCS Environmental Education Coordinator and lead for the project will represent the organization in the final in St Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom on Tuesday 17th March.

Link: Finalists – St Andrews Prize for the Environment – University of St Andrews