Preface
A major challenge was presented to the global education community in 2002 when the United Nations resolved that the years 2005-2014 would be the Decade for Education for Sustainable Development, a period when governments should make particular efforts to ensure that all citizens develop a broad awareness and understanding of sustainability issues and begin to play their role as individuals in achieving sustainable development at the local, national, and even international levels.
Sustainable development is generally thought to have three intertwined components, environment, society, and economy, and the challenge for professionals delivering Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is to identify those educational tools that will assist people in all walks of life to find the balance between these three components that maximizes human well-being. A well-targeted ESD programme for schoolchildren, for example, will ensure that students have the necessary knowledge, skills, perspectives and values both to guide and to motivate them to achieve sustainable lifestyles in adulthood.
Using a charismatic migratory species, the globally threatened Black-faced Spoonbill, WWF Hong Kong's educational package "LoLo's Flying Journey" ensures that it will be popular with students and teachers alike. In playing the game, and using the supporting materials for students and teachers, Hong Kong's schoolchildren will certainly be more aware of the broader issues of the wise use of wetlands. The children are presented with a number of scenarios at the various checkpoints along the migration path of LoLo, giving a realistic yet easy-to understand picture of the challenges of managing wetlands to ensure that they remain healthy; that they continue to support wildlife and the livelihoods of local people; and that they continue to deliver many services to other people indirectly dependent upon them.
This game also highlights the importance of international cooperation in safeguarding the stopover wetlands used by migratory species throughout the year – through this game, children will quickly realize that safeguarding Hong Kong's wetland habitats is not enough to ensure LoLo survives: unsustainable practices in any one of the stopover sites could have serious consequences for LoLo and its migratory companions.