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Environmental education
Environmental education
The most typical case of environmental education in the geoparks of Taiwan is the Yehliu Geopark. This geopark is the first scenic area obtaining the certificate for environmental education by the Environmental Protection Agency of Taiwan. It develops and provides 14 environmental courses for visitors from different ages and needs. The geopark's Nature Center, which used to be an army camp before was renovated and now is a sparkling site for environmental education. At this center local school children and young visitors learn about coastal landscapes. Every year, the Yehliu Geopark provides an annual budget of US$200000 devoted to environmental education for schools and organizations around northern Taiwan.
The Nature Center has many functions. The place is not only used as indoor classroom but also as an exhibition hall for coastal landscape illustrations and local cutural artifacts. Both students' and adults' environmental courses are supported by various relevant educational materials. The center also provides training on inspecting and managing marine life, as this is extremely important for people living in a small island state [1].The following are 5 different types of environmental program provided by the Nature Center in the Yehliu Geopark:
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Yehliu Nature Center offers 5 different types of programs: School Programs, Study Programs, Special Project, Parent-Child and General Public, and Guided Environmental Tours. Whether you are an individual, a school teacher, a family group, a civil servant or a person from the relevant industry, you will surely find a program that suits you.
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School Program
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In line with the school’s academic curriculum, the center has a specially planned one-day program catering to elementary and junior high school students. Through self-experience, exploration, investigation and classification, group discussion and games, the students learn about the mysteries regarding Yehliu’s geology, ecological resources and marine culture.
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Family & Children Program
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Combining the characteristics of Yehliu’s local resources with the seasons and festive activities, the center provides various DIY, half-day, full-day and over-night environmental education activities during weekends or on specific dates. Interested parties, such as individuals or families, are able to immerse themselves in the diverse environmental resources and experience the beauty of nature and culture. The center also organizes special Yehliu summer camps, leading the children through a fun exploration of geology, flora and marine ecology.
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Training
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The study programs catered by the center include teacher study, volunteer study, environmental education study and group study visits, with themes based on Yehliu’s geology, flora, and fishing village culture, among others. Through regular launching of various study programs, the center allows participants to develop a deeper understanding of the center’s mission and educational resources, while promoting the upgrading of professional knowledge.
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Interpretation
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Fixed Time Tour
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Tour timetable: first session 10am, second session 10:30am, third session 2pm, fourth session 2:30pm.
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Size of tour: a group of more than 10 and fewer than 30 people.
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The tour is approximately 1~1.5 hours (the tour covers the First and Second Scenic Regions).
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Applicable for the general public, students, organizations.
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The Center aims to provide the best of service based on our manpower capability. Nevertheless, we reserve the right to increase or decrease the number of tour services accordingly to the availability of tour guides for the day. For any service beyond our manpower capability, the Center is able to help arrange paid tour service based on the tourists’ requirements.
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Paid Tour
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Yehliu Geopark booking tour guide services
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Special Event
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You may also like to experience something special in Yehliu Nature Center. If you are a private group and wish to have an exclusive memory of Yehliu, we can provide you with customized service per your requirements.
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Besides, there are many local initiatives with the collaboration of local communities to promote local environmental consciousness by training young volunteer tour guides, recording verbal histories from elders, holding summer camps, environmental experiences and culture festivals:
Visiting Fishing village
Yehliu Geopark has cooperated with local communities by having tour guides to use the hand drawn Yehliu map by the local. By doing so, tourists can explore the intricate details of the culture and have a more meaningful experience with ease. Local people can share with tourists the story of Bao An temple where is Yehliu's religious center and workships Saint King of Kai-Jang, Mazu and Earth Deity (Figure 1); or sharing of Coral houses where villagers used coral as it was a convenient building material. They employed a mass stacking technique to build coral houses that is cool in summers and warm in winters.
Figure 1. Bao An temple (Source: https://www.goteamjosh.com/blog/baoan)
Welcome to my Hometown ~ Little tour guides
Children see a different world through their eyes. They don't see the world that grown ups consider to be real, but focus on bugs and birds resting on rocks. They are much more open-minded and see a world that is much larger than adults we see.
By training local children as curators, and designing various classes and activities for children, the geopark hopes to instill a deeper understanding in them of their own hometown. Children can also learn the knowlegde of how to preserve their natural environment. Most importantly, the geopark cultivates a hometown identity in children. [3]
Source:
[1]: Lin, J. C., Su, S. C. (2019). Geoparks of Taiwan. Their development and Prospects for a Sustainable Future
[2]: http://www.yehliu.com.tw/eng/act/act01.aspx
[3]: Yang, C.C (2011). A glance at Yehliu. Neo-Space International Inc.
