ProFauna's Continued Education For Forest And Wildlife Conservation

ProFauna Indonesia as a wildlife and forest protection organization in Indonesia, established since 1994, has four main activities including campaign, education, survey on wildlife trade and forest protection, and animal rescue. As for education, ProFauna has been conducting school visits, seminars, workshops, exhibitions, and other community outreaches to raise public awareness on wildlife and forest protection. In 2003, ProFauna set up its education center called Petungsewu Wildlife Education Center (P-WEC) as its field project focusing on education activities so that students and other communities who want to get nature and wildlife information can come to the center and learn.

Last 12 to 15 May 2010, ProFauna's education center held a Short Course of Wildlife Conservation for university students and local NGOs in small regions as well as outside Java Island. The event was to meet many requests from the participants as they hardly find certain subjects provided during the course in other organizations or institutions. Not only did the participants receive theories about principles of wildlife and forest conservation, wildlife watching, introduction to wildlife law enforcement, wildlife identification for law enforcement process, vegetation analysis and wildlife population census, journalism for conservation from the experts, the participants were also to practice out the subjects during the four-day short course.

Ten days later, ProFauna's education center held a workshop for Islamic boarding schools (locally known as Pesantren) entitled "Islam's Concerns on Animal Welfare". From 22nd to 23rd May 2010, the event that was supported by the Compassion in World Farming (CIWF), Animalia Foundation, Al-Hikam Islamic Academy, and ProFauna Indonesia; studied and discussed the book called "Animal Welfare in Islam" by Al-Hafiz Basheer Ahmad Masri, published by the Islamic Foundation – UK. The main subjects being discussed were wildlife fights, trade, circus, and use for medication. Following the workshop, the participants who were teachers in their own schools will make a guide book of "Animal Welfare in Islam" in the local language to be taught to their students. The participants were enthusiastic to study the materials and agreed that Islam cared for animal.

The latest education event held by the center was "Green Hang Out", an informal discussion about forest and wildlife conservation where anyone can be the keynote speakers. Green Hang Out was first launched and held on the 6th June 2010 to commemorate the world environment day. It will be held as a monthly event in the center. The last meeting took "Nature as Therapy Medium to Reduce Wildlife and Human Cruelties" and invited a meditation leader as spoke person. It was attended by communities from various backgrounds that paid attentively to the discussion and also shared their wonderful experiences about nature and other living creatures as therapy media.

ProFauna through its education center, P-WEC, will keep raising public awareness about forest and wildlife conservation through various media and events as the organization believes that education is important and should be delivered in interesting and fun but comprehensive ways.