Love nature from small lessons

The work of educating on environmental protection, biodiversity and wildlife in the mountainous areas of Da Nang city has been implemented more and more effectively. Notable activities include communication activities on protecting wild elephants and the “Green Dream Library” model, which contribute to nurturing children’s love of nature from an early age.

Students of Huynh Thuc Khang Secondary School (Que Phuoc Commune) participate in learning about wild animals at an extracurricular activity. Photo: THU PHUONG

Elephant conservation education from vivid reality

Elephant Species and Habitat Conservation Area (under the Management Board of Special Use Forests of Da Nang City) and Hivooc Company Limited jointly organized many extracurricular programs at schools: Huynh Thuc Khang Secondary School, Nguyen Van Troi Primary & Secondary School... (Que Phuoc Commune) and Phan Chau Trinh Secondary School (Nong Son Commune). The activities are within the framework of the project "Promoting solutions for sustainable coexistence between humans and elephants, towards conserving the Asian elephant population at the Elephant Species and Habitat Conservation Area".

Through the exhibition of paintings and activities to identify elephant traces and wild animals, students have access to visual resources about elephants, tigers, pangolins, and saola, species facing high risk of extinction in the Truong Son range. They are shared conservation stories in familiar, easy-to-understand language, thereby clearly recognizing the role of protecting forests and wild animals in their own lives.

Truong Bao Khanh Chi, a student of class 8/2 at Phan Chau Trinh Secondary School, said: “Through the activity, I understand that protecting wildlife is also protecting the living environment and continue to share this with friends and relatives.” According to teacher Phan Van Trung, Principal of Nguyen Van Troi Primary and Secondary School, extracurricular activities help students in mountainous areas receive intuitive knowledge, inspire love for nature and form environmentally friendly habits right from school age.

Ho Mai Phuong Thao, class 6/1 (Phan Chau Trinh Secondary School, Nong Son commune) shares her knowledge about elephants at an extracurricular activity. Photo: THU PHUONG

Mr. Mai Van Duong, in charge of managing the Elephant Species and Habitat Conservation Area (Da Nang Special-Use Forest Management Board) emphasized: “Educating students in mountainous areas is a priority, because they live near the forest and will become decisive contributors to environmental protection, especially forest protection in the future.

At the same time, the working groups also recorded additional footage in the buffer zone of the Elephant Species and Habitat Conservation Area in the communes of Nong Son, Que Phuoc, Phuoc Hiep, Thanh My and Hiep Duc to serve community education work.

According to the results of camera traps in the reserve, the elephant population currently has at least 9 individuals, including adult elephants, male elephants, female elephants and 1 baby elephant a few months old discovered in July 2025. This is a positive signal showing that the population structure is developing stably."

Awareness of protecting nature from the roots

Along with the elephant conservation education program, in Nong Son commune, the “Green Dream Library” model implemented by Huong Sen Kindergarten is creating a positive effect, helping preschool children access reading culture and form a love for nature from an early age. The idea of ​​building a library originated from the concerns of teacher Truong Thi Bich Thuy, acting principal of the school, about the situation of children using phones too early and increasingly moving away from books.

Teachers and students of Huong Sen Kindergarten with the story "Love nature, protect elephants". Photo: THU PHUONG

The library space is designed to be intimate with wooden bookshelves, a puppet storytelling corner, artificial grass, green trees and a special book series “Nong Son Forest Elephant Friends”. Children are exposed to comics, picture books, creative stories about green forests, wild animals and experiential activities such as watering plants, sorting trash, tending flower beds... From there, life skills and attitudes of respect and love for the environment are formed.

In the early days, there were many difficulties in terms of funding and the number of books, but the model quickly received the support of parents and the community. “Every book in the library is a contribution from the community. Since its inception, Huong Sen preschool children have significantly reduced the time they spend using electronic devices, and enjoy going to the library to read books, look at pictures and listen to stories. Many parents have also started to form the habit of reading books with their children every night.”

Both the elephant conservation education models in primary and secondary schools and the “Green Dream Library” in preschools have become bright spots in the journey of nurturing the love of nature for students in mountainous areas. This is an effective and sustainable way to create conditions for children to access scientific knowledge, form good habits and become small propagandists in the community.

Through experiences in the forest, classroom, schoolyard or library, children gradually understand that protecting nature starts with small actions every day: preserving the living environment, loving wild elephants, appreciating every page of a book and every green patch around them. All contribute to nurturing a generation that loves nature, appreciates the forest and joins hands to protect rare animals, including the Asian elephant herd living in the Truong Son range.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/yeu-thien-nhien-tu-bai-hoc-nho-3314105.html