15.2.4 Educational programmes on ecosystems

Summary

In 2025, Srinakharinwirot University (SWU) offered three educational programmes on ecosystems for local and national communities, focusing on wild flora and fauna and the conservation of terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity. On 4 September 2025, the "Conserve the Ecosystem and Local Biodiversity for Sustainable Development" project brought pupils, parents, villagers and community leaders together at the Ban Thung Kraprong community learning centre, Ban Na District, Nakhon Nayok Province, to learn about local plants, animals and forest ecology. On 24 May and 26 July 2025, SWU’s Asok Model project took participants to Wildlife Rescue Centre 1, Nakhon Nayok Province, where centre staff taught them about wild animals, the illegal wildlife trade and wildlife conservation, and participants cared for rescued tigers, Asian black bears and otters. From 10 to 12 December 2025, SWU’s Faculty of Environmental Culture and Ecotourism and the Faculty of Forestry, Kasetsart University, also ran a three-day forest ecosystems and conservation field camp at the Wang Nam Khiao Forestry Research and Training Station, Nakhon Ratchasima Province. All three programmes were free of charge, with free access for all participants.

Programmes at a glance

Programme 1: Conserve the Ecosystem and Local Biodiversity for Sustainable Development, Ban Thung Kraprong (4 September 2025)

Programme 1 at a glance

1.1 About the programme

In 2025, SWU organised this educational programme on ecosystems to give local communities free access to knowledge about wild flora and fauna and the conservation of terrestrial ecosystems. The project was run by the University’s Educational Research Development and Demonstration Institute and supported by academic staff and university students from the Faculty of Social Sciences, the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Physical Education.

Rather than keeping learning inside the classroom, the programme was held in the community itself, at the Ban Thung Kraprong community learning centre in Ban Na District, Nakhon Nayok Province. Pupils learned alongside their parents and local villagers, and the community was both a teacher and a learner: residents shared what they know about the plants, animals and natural resources around them, and took away new knowledge about biodiversity conservation in return.

1.2 A community partnership: the Ongkharak Model

The programme follows the University’s "Ongkharak Model" of university–community engagement, which links SWU with a network of local community stakeholders, including community leaders, local social entrepreneurs, residents and local administrative organisations. These partners helped plan and lead the day, connecting the lessons with local environmental knowledge and with the community’s own efforts to conserve forests, water resources, wildlife and biodiversity.

1.3 What participants learned and did

The educational programme combined short talks with hands-on and outdoor learning:

• Learning from community experts. Community leaders explained how villagers manage local natural resources and why protecting the land, water, plants and animals around Ban Thung Kraprong matters for everyone who lives there.

• Hands-on local-wisdom workshops. Pupils, parents and villagers worked together at activity stations led by community members, learning traditional ways of using natural materials such as soil sustainably.

• Outdoor ecological exploration. Participants explored the natural surroundings of the community to observe native plants and wild animals in their habitats and to see how each species depends on a healthy ecosystem.

• Understanding people and nature. Through discussion with community representatives, participants explored how human activities affect biodiversity, and what families and communities can do to keep local ecosystems in balance.

• Long-term learning through research. Pupils carried out independent research projects and helped establish permanent forest ecology study plots, which will support continued learning about terrestrial ecosystems in the years ahead.

1.4 Outcomes

• Greater knowledge of local biodiversity. Pupils, parents and villagers gained practical knowledge of the wild flora and fauna around their community and of how ecosystems work.

• Positive attitudes towards nature. Direct contact with the natural environment and with community experts encouraged participants, especially young learners, to treat wildlife, plants and other living things with care and responsibility.

• Shared responsibility for conservation. Involving community leaders, families and local organisations strengthened a shared sense of responsibility for biodiversity conservation across the community.

• A lasting resource. The permanent forest ecology study plots give pupils and the community a place to keep learning about ecosystems after the programme.

Figure 1. A community leader shares local knowledge of natural resources at the Ban Thung Kraprong community learning centre.

Figure 2. Community members lead a hands-on local-wisdom workshop using natural materials.

Figure 3. Pupils work together at a community-led activity station.

Figure 4. SWU staff guide pupils through a hands-on learning activity.

Programme 2: Learning about Wild Fauna and Wildlife Conservation at Wildlife Rescue Centre 1, Nakhon Nayok Province (24 May and 26 July 2025)

2.1 About the programme

In 2025, SWU offered a free educational programme on ecosystems, focusing on wild fauna and wildlife conservation, at Wildlife Rescue Centre 1, Nakhon Nayok Province. The centre cares for wild animals that have been rescued or confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade. The programme was run by the University’s Social Service Office under the "Asok Model" project, the University’s integrated social mission for holistic well-being, as part of its "Social and Environmental Well-being" activities, in partnership with the Mon Asa volunteer group. Alongside SWU students, the programme welcomed volunteers from outside the University through the Mon Asa group, extending the learning to local communities, and all activities were free of charge, giving every participant free access to expert knowledge on wild fauna and their ecosystems.

2.2 What participants learned and did

Each visit combined learning from wildlife experts with hands-on care for the animals:

• Learning from centre staff. Staff of the rescue centre gave talks on wild animals and their habitats, on how the illegal wildlife trade threatens wild species, and on why wildlife conservation and the protection of natural ecosystems matter.

• Real experience with threatened wild species. Participants saw and cared for rescued tigers, Asian black bears and otters, species that are under threat in the wild, and learned how each animal lives and what it needs.

• Preparing food for wild animals. In the centre’s wild-animal food preparation room, participants cut fruit and vegetables and prepared fresh, nutritious meals suited to each species.

• Caring for animal enclosures. Under staff supervision, participants cleaned the tiger and bear enclosures and the surrounding areas, so that the animals have clean and safe places to live.

2.3 Outcomes

• Knowledge of wild fauna. Participants gained first-hand knowledge of wild fauna, the threats wild animals face, and the role of rescue centres in biodiversity conservation.

• Awareness of the illegal wildlife trade. Seeing confiscated animals up close showed participants the real cost of the illegal wildlife trade and encouraged them not to support it.

• Responsibility and care. Working side by side with centre staff built a sense of responsibility for wildlife and for the natural ecosystems they depend on.

Figure 5. Rescue centre staff give a talk on wild animals and wildlife conservation, 26 July 2025.

Figure 6. SWU students and volunteers at the wild-animal food preparation room, 24 May 2025.

Figure 7. Participants prepare fresh food for the rescued animals.

Figure 8. Cleaning an animal enclosure under staff supervision.

Figure 9. A rescued tiger at Wildlife Rescue Centre 1.

Figure 10. A rescued Asian black bear eats the food prepared by participants.

Figure 11. Participants learn about otters cared for at the centre.

Figure 12. Activity poster: SWU × Mon Asa, Asok Model social and environmental well-being activity.

Programme 3: Forest Ecosystems and Conservation Field Camp with Kasetsart University – "ECE Joining Hands to Conserve Natural Resources", No. 9 (10–12 December 2025)

Programme 3 at a glance

3.1 About the programme

In 2025, SWU also ran an educational programme on forest ecosystems outside its campuses, in partnership with another university. From 10 to 12 December 2025, the Faculty of Environmental Culture and Ecotourism and the Faculty of Forestry, Kasetsart University, held the ninth "ECE Joining Hands to Conserve Natural Resources" project at the Wang Nam Khiao Forestry Research and Training Station in Nakhon Ratchasima Province.

The programme aimed to raise awareness of the importance of natural resources and the environment, and to build a genuine commitment to conserving them. It also gave students of both universities direct experience in the forest, so that they could apply what they had learned in class to real situations.

3.2 What participants learned and did

• Living in the forest. For three days and two nights, participants stayed overnight in the forest, learning about the forest ecosystem through direct experience.

• Trekking skills. Participants learned forest trekking skills and walked forest trails together.

• Working as forest rangers. In a simulation, participants took on the role of forest rangers, the people who protect forests and wildlife.

• Responsible ecotourism. Through conservation-based tourism activities, participants learned to be responsible ecotourists with a strong conservation mindset.

3.3 Outcomes

• Awareness of forest ecosystems. Participants gained a better understanding of why natural resources and forest ecosystems matter.

• A conservation mindset. The programme encouraged participants to take part in conservation seriously, including as visitors to natural areas.

• Learning across institutions. Students of SWU and Kasetsart University learned side by side, bringing together knowledge from environmental culture, ecotourism and forestry.

Figure 13. Students of SWU and Kasetsart University at the Wang Nam Khiao Forestry Research and Training Station, 10–12 December 2025.

Figure 14. A briefing for participants at the start of the field camp.

Figure 15. Participants trek through the forest with their camping gear.

Figure 16. Participants look closely at leaves and seeds on the forest floor.

Figure 17. Crossing a forest stream along the trail.

Figure 18. Participants at a rock shelter in the forest.

Contribution to SDG 15: Life on Land

In 2025, SWU’s three educational programmes on ecosystems gave local and national communities direct access to knowledge about wild flora and fauna, the illegal wildlife trade and biodiversity conservation. By combining university expertise, local knowledge, wildlife professionals and learning in real natural settings, SWU helped pupils, families, villagers, students and volunteers understand and care for terrestrial ecosystems and the species that depend on them.