City primary schools join project to protect threatened rainforest

STAFF and pupils at Hull primary schools are launching an ambitious project to protect part of an Ecuadorian rainforest.

They are hoping to raise 250,000 to buy 100 hectares at the heart of the Maquipucuna Reserve in the north-east of the country, and eight lucky pupils will go to visit the site next year on the trip of a lifetime.

If the project is successful it will allow the land to be managed locally and support sustainable forestry.

The money would fund guards to patrol the area to protect it from development and poaching, while allowing native cocoa and shade-grown coffee to be harvested.

The reserve harbours an astonishing array of life – more than 2,000 species of plants have been identified, alongside more than 350 species of birds, 45 species of mammals and countless invertebrates.

But it is at risk of being wiped out by development and tree logging operations.

A total of 40 city primary schools have signed up to the project and it is hoped all 71 in the city will eventually be involved.

The idea is to incorporate the scheme in the schools’ curriculum, covering subjects including science, geography, history and citizenship.

The One Hull of a Rainforest initiative was launched after a group of city teachers visited the reserve at Easter.

The trip was organised by Plan-it Eco and Natasha Banke, primary development officer at Humber Education Business Partnership, who was inspired to create the link after her own journey to the jungle.

She described it as a life-changing experience which had led her to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.

Ms Banke said: “For me, meeting the people that were there, experiencing the culture and how warm and friendly they were and seeing the biodiversity, you get a special feeling when you’re there.

“It does touch your heart and it becomes a passion and it’s going to steer me on a completely different path.

“I live a lot more sustainably now. I don’t leave any lights on at home and turn my appliances off.

“I’m not going to buy a new car this year and I’m not going to buy a mobile phone.

“It’s about those small changes and if everybody started doing that it would have a massive impact.”

Ms Banke said it was vital to protect the rainforest, which is under threat from many sides.

“They are the lungs of the world,” she said.

“If you chop down a forest in England you can regrow it in 20 to 30 years and re-establish native species.

“If you chop down the rainforest it takes 400 years for the trees to grow back and you lose the biodiversity, the plants and animals, and that’s gone forever.”

The area is rich in history, with archaeological evidence of pre-Inca peoples living in and around Maquipucuna. Archaeologists have discovered ceramics, burial sites, and buried pathways.

A teacher at Gillshill Primary School, Nigel Marshall, said: “One Hull of a Rainforest will provide a wonderful opportunity for the children of Hull to understand the importance of the rainforest to the world we live in.

“It will also empower children to be able to develop the skills to take direct action and responsibility in playing a part in sustaining this vital global resource.”

The schools are hoping to enlist the support of businesses and other organisations as part of their fundraising efforts.

Those who support the project will have their names inscribed on a plaque at the site, which would be managed by the Maquipucuna Foundation.

To donate to the project or find out more, e-mail [email protected]

[email protected]