WLI World September 2026
From the Wetlands to the Sky: Young Explorers Discover the Birds of Sigli
Birds and Wetland Habitats – Learning Session with Yazzakka Primary School Students photo by munzir
From the Wetlands to the Sky: Young Explorers Discover the Birds of Sigli
On a bright morning in Sigli, Aceh, a classroom became a gateway to the wetlands.
The Education Team from Alue Naga Birds Research and Bird Watching visited Sekolah Anak Shaleh Yazzakka for a lively session with children aged 10–12. The aim was simple: to help young people understand why birds matter, how ecosystems work, and why the wetlands around their own city deserve to be cared for.
Rather than beginning with a long lecture, the session started with questions, stories and curiosity. The children were invited to think about the places they see every day — rivers, rice fields, ponds, mudflats and the coast — and the animals that depend on them.
As Sigli lies close to the coast, with wetlands forming an important part of its landscape, the session naturally turned towards wetland ecosystems and the remarkable biodiversity they support.
The KSLH Aceh coordinator introduced the children to the many services wetlands provide: they support wildlife, store water, help reduce flooding and connect rivers with the sea. For birds, wetlands are more than beautiful places. They are feeding grounds, resting places and, for some species, essential habitats along their journeys.
But there is another side to the story.
The children were encouraged to think about what happens to a piece of plastic after it is thrown away. During heavy rain, rubbish left on streets or in open spaces can be carried into drains and rivers, eventually reaching the sea. Once there, it can become a serious threat to wildlife. Waterbirds may swallow pieces of plastic while feeding, while other animals can become trapped or entangled in discarded waste.
The message was delivered without fear or blame. Instead, the children were encouraged to see themselves as part of the solution — starting with something as ordinary as putting rubbish in the right place.
The atmosphere remained relaxed, cheerful and full of questions. Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for.
It was time to go outside.
With binoculars prepared by the KSLH Aceh team, the children became young birdwatchers. Suddenly, the familiar landscape looked completely different. What had seemed like an ordinary day beside the wetland became a search for movement, colour and sound.
A Collared Kingfisher appeared. Then a White-throated Kingfisher. A Little Egret was spotted among the wetland vegetation, followed by the more secretive Cinnamon Bittern.
Every sighting brought excitement.
For the children, these were no longer simply names in a book. They were living birds, seen through their own binoculars, in a landscape they already knew.
The entire session lasted only around one and a half hours, but its impact was far greater than the length of the activity might suggest. Through an experiential learning approach, the children moved from listening, to questioning, to observing and finally to discovering for themselves.
That transition is important.
Conservation begins to feel different when a child looks through binoculars and recognises a bird for the first time. A wetland becomes more than an empty patch of water when children understand that it provides food and shelter for wildlife. And a piece of rubbish becomes more than waste when they realise that it can travel from their neighbourhood to the sea and threaten the animals living there.
Perhaps the most valuable lesson from the morning was not a bird’s name or a fact about wetlands. It was the realisation that nature conservation does not always begin in a forest or a protected area.
Sometimes, it begins in a classroom in Sigli.
Sometimes, it begins with a child asking, “What bird is that?”
And sometimes, it begins with a simple decision to put a piece of rubbish in the right place.
These young explorers left the session with binoculars returned, but with a new way of seeing the landscape around them. For a moment, the wetlands of Sigli were not simply part of the scenery. They were alive — and the children had begun to understand that they have a role in keeping them that way.
Students observing birds around the school grounds. photo by munzir 
Birds and Wetland Habitats – Learning Session with Yazzakka Primary School Students photo by munzir
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