Storytelling in Elementary Schools, Striving to Increase Knowledge and Awareness About Wildlife Protection from an Early Age

Bali, 09 December 2023 – Indonesia is a country in Southeast Asia with a variety of biodiversity that attracts a lot of trade in domestic and international markets. According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Indonesia has exported around 25,672 species of wild animals to several other countries from 2016 to 2021.

The illegal wildlife trade carries various health risks and environmental damage. The risk of transmission from the wild animal trade in the form of pathogens will pose a threat of zoonotic diseases, such as; Rabies, Avian Influenza, Leptospirosis, Salmonellosis, and Pox.

The One Health Collaborating Center (OHCC) of Udayana University (Unud) had the opportunity to collaborate with the International Alliance Against Health Risks in Wildlife Trade (implemented by The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) to initiate the program "The Application of One Health Approach to Raise Wildlife Protection Awareness in Indonesia” (OHAWE), a program implementing the One Health approach to increase awareness of wildlife protection in Indonesia.

Through a creative approach and local culture, OHCC Udayana University, in collaboration with writers, illustrators and translators, released a children's story book entitled "Nyamprut Doesn't Eat Bread" and staged it as a form of risk communication to children. Apart from distributing story books, the book launch event was also enlivened by story performances at SD Negeri 1 Kukuh Marga, Tabanan. The hope is that children's story books which are presented in three languages, namely Indonesian, Balinese and English, will provide adequate insight to children in the area about the wildlife trade and its risks. Apart from that, children are also expected to be able to make more changes after they have had respect and an attitude of appreciation for the preservation of wild animals from an early age.

The implementation of this program also involves other OHCC networks under the Indonesia One Health University Network (INDOHUN) to reach a wider program coverage from west to east Indonesia. By implementing the program in several areas, efforts to increase public knowledge and awareness regarding the risks and threats of wild animal trade can be achieved on a massive scale.