Motupore Island Research Centre

EDUCATION

MIRC currently has a number of educational initiatives.

Courses at MIRC

MIRC plays host to a number of visits from UPNG students on a variety of field courses (including biology and geology). MIRC also makes its facilities available to other universities and schools, with talks and educational activities directed by the MIRC Education Officer. MIRC is directly involved with the Wildlife Conservation Society in the provision of annual marine conservation and monitoring training courses on Motupore to a wide range of recipients including students, members of conservation NGOs and National Fisheries Authority (NFA) representatives. For further information contact the MIRC Director.

Motupore Islanders

The establishment of the MIRC Volunteer Internship Programme (VIP) brought the arrival of Dr Joanna Henley from the UK for 6 months beginning January 2005 to develop a series of educational short stories aimed at primary schoolchildren, getting across basic ecological and conservation principles in a series of storylines based at Motupore, and featuring a cast of fauna found on or around the island. Dr Henley was funded by a number of sources, including the British Ecological Society and the PNG Institute of Biodiversity. With the financial assistance of the British High Commission in PNG (approx 15,000 Kina) a total of 5000 story-books were produced, comprising 1000 copies of each of the following titles (500 in English/Pidgin and 500 in English/Motu):

A Boot in Bootless Bay! .
A Butterfly’s Promise.
The Day the Sea Cucumber Lost its Memory.
A Stormy Lesson at the Coral Sea School!
The Highs and Lows of Life on the Sea Shore.

The majority of the story-books have been circulated to the 4 pilot primary schools (Taurama, Carr Memorial, Tubusereia and Gaba Gaba), with other copies being provided to schools and organizations from West New Britain to Central Provinces. A large number of copies also remain with the PNG Department of Education for wider circulation within PNG.

Educational Awareness Information Sheets

A number of educational awareness information sheets are available to groups visiting Motupore Island. Themes include seaweeds, mangroves, siltation, coral reefs, crown of thorns starfish, giant clams, ciguatera fish poisoning, size restrictions in fisheries, tides, the importance of seagrass communities, the stonefish, and life on a rocky shore.

The Motupore Island Trail MIRC has re-established the Motupore Island Trail, which consists of a number of different signposted treks around the island. Colourful guides have been produced for use by visitors wishing to follow the trail. These guides provide information on Motupore and its environment, as well as providing general educational material on a wide variety of marine and island habitats.

MIRC outreaching

The MIRC Education Officer has been heavily involved in work with local communities (including Pari, Tubuseria, Barakau and GabaGaba) as part of MIRC’s expanding outreach programme. A major activity in 2006 has been the provision of training on mangrove replanting.