Art, Science and Sustainability

Year 7 students stepped out of the classroom and into our local coastal area during their visit to Bang Pu Nature Education Centre. This trip was part of their Art and Science focus on SDG 14: Life Below Water. Although they weren’t quite heading into the deep ocean, students discovered that the mangroves and mudflats of Bang Pu provide an important meeting point between life on land and life below water.

The visit began with a talk from the Foundation for Environmental Education for Sustainable Development, better known as FEED. FEED manages the Nature Education Centre and helps to protect Bang Pu’s mangroves, mudflats and wetlands. Their talk helped students understand why these habitats are so important, the threats they face, and how conservation organisations can turn global sustainability goals into meaningful local action… with plenty of interactive games along the way!

Students then explored the mudflat habitat from the bird hide with their art teachers, using binoculars to search for birds, crabs and the wonderfully unusual giant mudskipper; a fish that uses its fins to “walk” across the mud! Careful observations and field sketches encouraged students to identify the adaptations that allow organisms to survive where land meets water and sketch it onto paper.

Finally, students surveyed plastic pollution trapped amongst the mangrove roots. They classified and tallied different types of waste before considering how plastics and microplastics can disrupt food webs and threaten young marine life. Students also discussed the benefits and possible challenges of mangrove planting as a conservation strategy here in Thailand.

By the end of the morning, Year 7 had seen first-hand how this important area of our coastline is under threat from plastic and the effects on the wider ecosystem. It was hot, it was muddy but it was also a lot of fun to be immersed in the local environment; proof that some of the best lessons happen well beyond the classroom or lab!