Education isn’t purely about education, it is about inclusion. Bringing everyone together to work on otter and wetland conservation.
Education
IOSF Otter Education Resources
International Workshops
IOSF holds international workshops across the world with a view to including local stakeholders, such as communities, conservation workers and government officials in otter and wetland conservation moving forward.
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Otter populations and wetland habitats worldwide are declining and one of the main reasons is lack of awareness. This leads to less funding for research, education and practical conservation. These workshops are designed to train the next generation of otter workers who can obtain sound data and create realistic and practical conservation programmes. By involving government officials it makes them more aware of the threats from trade and encourages them to enforce the law.
The workers create a network of individuals in their respective areas, creating an a easier platform to transfer data, offer best practices and reduce the duplication of efforts.
WORKSHOP PLANS
Participants for the workshop are scientists, university lecturers, forest rangers responsible for conservation, members of NGOs and other similar stakeholders. Local government personnel are also invited to encourage better law enforcement, otter protection and cross-border collaboration.
Training is provided for participants and funding will be provided to cover their expenses in order to increase benefits for the region and reduce any financial constraints associated with attendance.The format for all our workshops is a mix of classroom studies with discussion, and practical field work.
In the classroom, participants learn about different aspects including:
Otter ecology and their role in the ecosystem
Species identification
Threats
Illegal trade
Education importance and techniques
And many more
In the field they practice:
Identifying field signs
Data recording
Non-invasive monitoring such as camera trapping
Spraint analysis
Etc.These workshops grow knowledge, excitement, otter work being completed and, ultimately increase the care and protection of otters in their regions.
Click on the pictures below for access to the workshop reports.
Team Otter
TEAM OTTER is IOSF’s environment education programme focused on children. Team Otter uses otters as a mascot and advocate to a healthy environment.
The programme is reconnecting children with nature, wildlife and the environment and igniting a passion that will last their whole life.
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IOSF has a number of Team Otter clubs around the world in countries including Guyana, Nigeria, the UK and Canada.
The children can join Team Otter clubs and meet regularly to continue learning and also network with other clubs from around the world. This allows them to feel part of a growing number of children and young people that want to make a difference. Association with the club will ensure a passion and a sense of duty to helping the natural world in the future and ensure that our future decision makers have the right knowledge to help the environment moving forward.
If you have any interest in running your own Team Otter club, then email Ben here -
IOSF also runs outreach programmes visiting schools, youth groups and other similar clubs/organisations involving children.
The outreach allows children education outwith their usual curriculum, inspires them to be otter/wetland ambassadors and ensures that they have the correct knowledge on the importance of otter conservation and why it is important for all of us to conserve them in the long term.
Human:Otter Engagement
Gaining a better understanding of the co-existence between ourselves and otters. Aspects such as perceptions, conflict, creating more understanding of why it is important to conserve otters and wetlands.
This education programme is aimed at creating a peaceful co-existence between otters and local communities, and ensuring the long-term health of both.
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Throughout the years, there has been some amazing engagement work with local communities across the world. Too many for us to name them all, but one such positive advocate for community-otter balance is William Mgomo.
William is based in Tanzania and attended our workshop in 2015 in the country. Since then, William has been a passionate otter ambassador and has also become part of the IOSF team, as our African Community Education Officer.
Throughout the years following the Tanzanian workshop, William has visited countless schools, fishing communities and children to spread the word of otters far and wide. William has also inspired other individuals to get involved in outreach work such as Mrisho Mohamedi, Jimmy Chami and Ashura Talagimbudzah, and therefore spreading more information across Tanzania.
Some of the highlights of William’s work, showing the importance of community education are as follows:
• Persuading fish farmers and workers to remove traps designed to catch and kill otters. This was done by emphasis on the importance of otters and also finding other ways to protect their fish and therefore, their livelihood.
• Visiting thousands, if not tens of thousands, of children across Tanzania. Helping them gain more of an understanding of the natural world, what they can do to help and inspiring future conservationists.
• This outreach work has inspired other individuals, including those aforementioned, to get involved in otter conservation work.
• More sightings of otters, including the African clawless otter, a rarer sight in Tanzania, in 2022.
William’s work really emphasises how passion can be infectious. His work has ensured a more positive future for Tanzanian otters!
Outreach
IOSF provides speakers, both in person and online, for various events at natural history societies, school events, communities and much more.
We are very keen on helping individuals, and organisations, gain more understanding of otters, their conservation needs, threats and much more.
If you would like to enquire about an IOSF speaker, please click here to email
Student Research Grant
The IOSF Student Research Grant will help two students carry out an otter field survey under the guidance of a trained ecological surveyor.
This offers students an introduction to otter surveying technique from a trained ecological surveyor, help them with potential dissertation topics and encourage them to work more with otters.
Learn more about otters of the world
©Shari Surner Photography