Education
We offer study tours and gap year programs in addition to volunteer, and educational programs for international school groups, universities and professional groups.
We strive to educate guests and visitors about the nature, ecology, sustainability and local communities on Koh Ra. We have a growing set of resources including field guide and textbook library, the self-published Natural History Guide to Koh Ra, nature trail map and guided tour, educational posters (native habitats of Koh Ra, flora and fauna, conservation, and Moken community) and associated materials.
In 2009, the Koh Ra Ecolodge hosted a group of students from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) course called "Sustainable Ecosystems", led by Dr. Michael Silverman, and developed a three part curriculum focusing on terrestrial ecology (bird surveys, habitat mapping), traditional livelihoods of the Moken community, and coastal sustainability.
Thailand Study Tours
We are prepared to host traveling university or educational groups to base at the Koh Ra Ecolodge while studying the local ecology, community, and sustainability. We arrange 2-7+ day itineraries complete with activities for such groups. Please e-mail us with inquiries.
Example 7-day itinerary:
| Example 7-day itinerary: | |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrival, settle-in, orientation and tour of the Ecolodge facilities and sustainability initiatives. |
| Day 2 | Ecology module- learn about the native habitats and conduct a habitat mapping exercise using satellite imagery and GPS to identify habitat boundaries and features. Students will learn about the value of native habitats and the challenges to their conservation. |
| Day 3 | Ecology module continued- learn about the native fauna and birds and conduct a hornbill survey to estimate the local population. Overlay hornbill distribution on the habitat map and discuss key habitat requirements of this keystone forest fruigivore and seed disperser. |
| Day 4 | Community module- Learn about the Moken people and their subsistence lifestyle. Go to the village and take part in activities including a Moken-guided medicinal plant hike in the jungle. Prepare a local meal consisting of some traditional plants used by the Moken. |
| Day 5 | Community module continued- Take part in a day long service project with the Moken while learning about the need and importance of resources. Possible community development projects include helping them build and plant a vegetable bed, make or mend fish nets and squid traps, enlarge and stock a freshwater fish pond, or build a chicken house. Students will learn the importance of these resources in a traditional subsistence lifestyle and have a great cultural exchange with the people in the village. |
| Day 6 | Sustainability module- learn more about the sustainable technologies used at the Ecolodge and take part in a hands on project such as planting medicinal plants from the Moken, implementing a biochar site (a carbon negative technique for sequestering carbon), build a created wetland for water filtration and more. |
| Day 7 | Student presentations and wrap up. |
