1. Develop and implement a comprehensive and innovative CEPA strategy for the “HidroAves Tota” project
   • How we met it: We produced the “Totuma CEPA Strategy for Lake Tota” document, consolidating print (Boletín Totuma), broadcast (Tota en su Totuma), public boards (Tableros Totuma), digital platforms and community‑driven elements into a single living strategy for ABC Tota .
2. Increase local community awareness and understanding of Lake Tota’s ecosystem and innovative monitoring techniques
   • How we met it: Three monthly newsletters (500 print + online each) reached 22,000 residents; Kamishibai workshops introduced 83 schoolchildren to hyperspectral monitoring; and weekly radio programmes explained both local ecology and HAT technology .
3. Foster community participation in conservation efforts through interactive and inclusive communication channels
   • How we met it: QR‑coded feedback on Tableros Totuma; photo‑story contests on Facebook; and live Q&A segments on Playa Blanca Stereo generated direct input from farmers, fishers and students throughout the watershed .
4. Create a sense of ownership and pride in local environmental initiatives
   • How we met it: A school‑based mascot design contest produced “HAT, el Guardián Lagunero” and its use across all media reinforced community identity; 5 rural schools actively co‑created content .
5. Establish sustainable communication platforms that can continue beyond the project duration
   • How we met it: Two permanent Tableros Totuma remain sited in Cuítiva and Tota; the websites hidroaves.abctota.org and totuma.abctota.org are fully functional; and social‑media pages continue to be updated bi‑weekly .
6. Develop an external CEPA strategy to support Lake Tota’s management as an ABC Tota service for the wetland
   • How we met it: The Totuma CEPA Strategy document itself was finalized, approved by Fundación Montecito and handed over to ABC Tota for ongoing implementation and annual review .

1. Foster Wetland Education in Schools
Objective: Conduct educational workshops in primary schools near wetlands and mangroves to teach children about the Lesser Adjutant and coastal ecosystems using interactive materials.
Progress:
• Preliminary outreach was conducted through community-based workshops (January–May 2025), using prototype education kits to test and refine materials.
• The main phase of school workshops will take place from June to December 2025, targeting approximately 150 students across at least three schools.
• These sessions will utilize the finalized educational materials (to be printed in July), including improved 3D papercraft models, fun fact sheets, and game cards.
• Supplementary lesson plans will be shared with teachers to support the longer-term integration of wetland and wildlife topics into extracurricular and classroom activities.
2. Enhance Public Engagement
Objective: Launch public education campaigns to raise awareness about the Lesser Adjutant and wetland conservation, including connections to sustainable livelihoods.
Progress:
• Workshops were also opened to community members and eco-tourism guides, expanding participation beyond just schoolchildren.
• Public events at Kukup and Sedili had notably high turnout (e.g. 110 participants at Kukup), demonstrating strong local interest and engagement.
3. Improve Sustainable Practices
Objective: Train eco-tourism operators

Key output of the project is the installation of bird collision mitigation stickers to large windows at the Wye Marsh Visitor Centre.
Stickers have been installed on almost all visitor centre windows, with remaining stickers being installed through the remainder of spring, 2025.

By holding 1-2 gatherings a month, we have increased interaction and communication among farmers, and we have indeed seen results.

Farmers often go to Green Treasure Farm to borrow binoculars (provided by the park) to identify birds in the fields and upload data using a mobile app. It seems that the preset goal has been achieved.

This ensures that consumers receive safe agriculture products, farmers maintain a stable income, and wetland species on farmland have preferred habitat.

Raise awareness among 2000 students from 5 primary schools on wetland conservation issues through lectures – to meet this objective we carried out 5 awareness – raising sessions, that is 1 for each participating primary school.

Involve 200 students in water bird identification and counting sessions on site – to meet this objective 229 students were involved in water bird identification and counting exercises. It was necessary 10 sessions which were carried out over the project time.

Involve 50 students in drawing and writing competition about the importance of wetlands - Two groups of 25 each participated in the final stage of the competition that is writing and drawing competition. The best top 3 for each category were awarded prizes and the drawings are part of an exposition for awareness purpose.

The goal of the project was to train volunteers so they would be able to lead the preschool group program that was previously developed. Over the course of the training, the preschool group program was fine-tuned so that it would be easier to carry out in the future. This would help the reschool groups that were unable to find suitable programs or people to lead them, and can only
walk around the Park by themselves.
So the training program included going through the program materials, highlighting key points and trial-run of the program. In order to build up our volunteer’s confidence to lead the preschool programs, we worked with local preschools so the volunteers would have an opportunity to do a trial
run with the preschool children and gain some experience. Our staffs were close by to assist and provide feedbacks to the volunteers as well as discussed with them how they could adapt the program so it would be easier and more comfortable for them to lead such programs.
We received positive feedbacks from both our volunteers as well as the teachers from the participating preschools, and they all look forward to when the program becomes officially available.