Flora Fauna Nusantara organized a community service initiative titled “Birdwatching for Kids: Introducing Bird Diversity and Building Conservation Awareness in Forest Compartment 56, Sumberjati, Jember.” The program was developed to introduce children to the importance of bird conservation and forest ecosystems through interactive environmental education activities.
Forest Compartment 56, situated on the southwestern slopes of Mount Raung, is recognized for its rich biodiversity and serves as habitat for numerous endemic and migratory bird species. Despite its ecological importance, the area still faces several conservation challenges, including limited environmental education access and low public awareness regarding biodiversity protection.
The program began with an engaging classroom session supported by visual learning materials such as slides, bird illustrations, and educational images. During the session, students were introduced to various topics, including bird diversity, different beak adaptations related to feeding behavior, bird habitats, and basic birdwatching techniques.
Presentation of Material
To create a more interactive learning atmosphere, the activity incorporated discussions and question-and-answer sessions that encouraged students to actively participate and develop curiosity about birds and their surrounding environment.
Following the indoor session, participants were invited to conduct direct birdwatching activities in the Forest Compartment 56 area accompanied by university students and facilitators. The children learned how to use binoculars, identify bird calls, observe bird behavior, and understand ecological relationships between birds and forest habitats.
This field-based learning experience allowed participants to directly encounter birds in their natural environment, providing a more meaningful understanding of wildlife conservation beyond classroom learning alone.
Direct Bird Observation in Nature
At the end of the program, students joined a reflective discussion highlighting the role of birds as indicators of environmental health. Participants were encouraged to develop simple conservation habits, such as protecting wildlife habitats, planting trees, avoiding littering, and refraining from capturing wild birds.
Through this initiative, Flora Fauna Nusantara hopes to foster environmental awareness among younger generations while supporting conservation-based educational activities and sustainable ecotourism development in the Sumberjati forest area.
