Warrior pupils help the karearea

The New Zealand falcon (karearea).

This term more than 10,000 school children throughout the country have become Wingspan Warriors including children at Paraparaumu Beach School.

They have been taught to learn, care and lead new efforts within their classrooms, families and communities to support the New Zealand falcon (karearea).

The initiative comes with the help of a new lesson plan developed for primary schools by Kleenex Tissues and Wingspan National Bird of Prey Centre.

Teachers around the country are being invited to download the new lesson plan, at no cost to schools, at www.sneezesafe.co.nz and then click on Teaching Kit2 - Healthy Forests, and choose Lesson Plan.

Debbie Stewart, founder and executive director of Wingspan since its inception 25 years ago, said the highest population density of New Zealand falcon occurs in commercial pine plantations, in particular the North Island's Kaingaroa Forest.

She said conservation support from Kaingaroa Timberlands and from Kleenex Tissues, led by Kimberly-Clark New Zealand, was appreciated and stemmed from their commitment to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification and also "to doing what's right".

FSC is a broadly-scoped, internationally-recognised hallmark of responsible forest management.

A letter outlining the education partnership between Kleenex Tissues and Wingspan National Bird of Prey Centre, also available for parents and teachers to freely download on the website, reads: "At Wingspan we have learnt that the presence of New Zealand falcons in a forest shows that the environment is balanced, and is healthy.

It is very important that we have healthy forests, not only for karearea but for humans too. Big green trees with woody trunks release oxygen into the environment. So not only do healthy forests help karearea to survive they also, on a mass scale, allow people to keep breathing. Kei te ora nga karearea, kei te ora tatou katoa (If the falcons are alive we are alive)."

Debbie agrees with the view that, in terms of conservation icons who engage people to care, the New Zealand falcon are New Zealand's panda bear.

"They are also recognised as our apex predator and are critical to the health of our forest eco-systems."

She said only 25 per cent of karearea chicks currently survive past one year.

Schools around the country are getting on board early. Fittingly Kaingaroa Forest School was the first to begin their Healthy Forests teaching and learning using the new lesson plan during a visit to the Wingspan Centre.