Author: Azhari Lubis (Volunteer Panda Mobile)

WWF-Indonesia's Panda Mobile visited School Alam Cendekia Bogor on Thursday (19/10). The Panda Mobile visit to this school was in order to provide education about sea turtles and mangrove forests as a provision for students who will conduct educational activities on Thousand Islands about sea turtles and mangroves.

The spirit of the students was pumped up with the "Ramsamsam" dance movement. The warm and cheerful atmosphere after the movement made them more energized and focused in receiving the material delivered by the WWF-Indonesia Mobile Panda team. The activity that was attended by more than 75 students began with an introduction to various conservation programs carried out by WWF-Indonesia and six protected umbrella animals. After that, they were invited to watch the movie "Quartet at the Crossroads". At the end of the movie, Panda Mobile volunteers explained the message contained in the movie.

The material about mangrove forests was delivered by one of Panda Mobile's volunteers, Azhari Lubis to the students in a presentation. Azhari explained the benefits of mangrove forests and the impact if mangrove forests do not exist on the shoreline of the islands. "Mangrove trees, apart from being a place for animals to live, also serve to protect humans because they can withstand abrasion. By protecting mangroves, we maintain the integrity of this natural life," Azhari explained.

The mangrove presentation was followed by an explanation of sea turtles by Sani Firmansyah, WWF-Indonesia's Supporter Center Officer. Sani explained about turtle habitat, types of turtles, how turtles live, what turtles eat, how turtles lay eggs and breed, and threats to turtles. An introduction to sea turtles was also given in the form of a video showing the journey of sea turtles as a result of camera footage mounted on the turtle's shell.

After the presentation, Sani and Azhari asked questions to the students of Sekolah Alam Cendekia about the presentation that had been given. They were very enthusiastic in answering every question given. Some students also asked questions to the Panda Mobile team. "Can I keep a turtle?" asked Azka, a 3rd grade student. "Of course not. Because if you keep a sea turtle, the balance in the sea will be disturbed. If there are no sea turtles in the sea, jellyfish as food will increase and can be disturbing, "answered Sani.

The Panda Mobile visit was closed with a group photo and the delivery of messages by the Panda Mobile team to students who will leave for Seribu Island to always protect the environment by not littering, let alone throwing garbage into the sea. They also emphasized to the students to reduce the use of single-use plastics.