In the heart of the Sundarbans surrounding communities, a quite but powerful movement is taking shape inside school classrooms. Through WildTeam's School Conservation Class Series, students are being introduced to the wonder and responsibilities of living alongside one of the world's most versatile ecosystem.

This initiative is being implemented under the project, "Strengthening the Conservation of the Sundarbans through Empowering Youth and Institutional Capacity Development of Neighboring Secondary Schools around the Sundarbans," supported by German Cooperation and GIZ. The project aims to strengthen the conservation of the Sundarbans by enhancing coordination among stakeholders and empowering local youth through targeted awareness and engagement Programmes.

In January 2026, Round 1 of the school Conservation class Series reached 1158 students from 15 partner schools across four ranges of Sundarbans through 38 interactive classroom sessions. This first round focused on the Royal Bengal Tiger, a flagship of the Sundarbans and a symbol of both ecological balance and conservation urgency.

The sessions engaged students for class six to ten, including 428 boys and 730 girls, among them 71 were Earth Scouts who were young ambassadors and already committed to environmental stewardship. Designed to be participatory and age-appropriate, helped them understand the tiger's role in the Sundarbans and encouraged them to learn more about wildlife conservation.

Each session explored the tiger's physical characteristics. Habitat and distribution, behaviour, diet and hunting patterns, breeding and cub development, and its ecological importance as an apex predator. Special emphasis was placed on human-tiger conflict, the major threats facing the species, and practical conservation actions that students can take at both the individual and community levels.

WildTeam noted strong engagement during the sessions, students actively asking questions and sharing local experience related to tigers and the Sundarbans. For many, this was their first structured opportunity to learn about conservation in a way that connected global environmental issues with their own daily lives.

The school Conservation Class Series is built around four key species profiles. Such as: Sundari tree. Royal Bengal Tiger, Masked finfoot, and Saltwater Crocodile. These allow students to gradually develop a holistic understanding of the Sundarbans ecosystem. With the successful completion of the tiger-focused round, a strong foundation has now been established for the upcoming session on the remaining species.

By bringing conservation education directly into classrooms, WildTeam is nurturing a new generation of informed, empathic, and motivated young conservationists who ensure that the future of the Sundarbans is protected not only by policies and patrols, but by knowledge awareness and community ownership.

Sadia Afroz Nitu, Programme Officer, WildTeam