Nature Conservation Margaret River Region’s youth education program Waatu Kaatijin (Ocean Learning) made a splash at Gnarabup today, turning local students into citizen scientists solving coast conservation threats.
Waatu Kaatijin is now in its third year involving three Year 5 classes from Margaret River Primary School, thanks mainly to funding from the Shire of Augusta Margaret River.
And program officer Chloe Deakin said it involved practical, hands-on learning over the school year, where the kids learn from Traditional Owners, work with coastal and marine experts, carry out surveys, identify threats, meet with stakeholders, devise solutions, put them into practice and share the learning with the community.
The Year 5 students began their learning and hit the beach at Gnarabup, where they heard about the cultural significance of the coast and native plants from Undalup Association’s Wadandi rangers and identified local birds with Birdlife WA’s Christine Wilder. They also heard from marine scientist Jessica Leask, discussing our incredible intertidal marine life; delved into the specialised zoning on the Ngari Capes Marine Park with activities led by Parks and Wildlife Service marine rangers; discussed the impacts of dogs on beaches from shire rangers; and discovered fishing size and catch limits and the science driving management from Fisheries.
Chloe said the students relished swapping the classroom for the beach and were fascinated to learn more about our coastline and ocean conservation.
“We’ve got a beautiful day and the kids are having a blast – I’m seeing a lot of smiles! They’re also really engaging with the presenters and taking in a lot of knowledge,” she said.
Year 5 teacher Troy Yates said Waatu Kaatijin tied in with and even accelerated the school curriculum. “To try and replicate this in the classroom would take months, and it’s not as real as being on country and connecting to our wonderful coastline, so it ticks every box,” he said.
Inquiry-based learning takes a different approach from traditional education. It fosters exploration, investigation, and questioning, allowing students to develop a deeper understanding of subjects. Rather than memorising facts, students actively participate in problem-solving and critical thinking to build their own knowledge.
Nature Conservation has secured funding from the Shire of Augusta Margaret River, Jock Clough Marine Foundation and Cape Mentelle to run Waatu Kaatijin for 2025 at Margaret River Primary School. But the group is still seeking sponsorship funding to boost the program and roll out to other schools across the Capes region.
“The ocean is so central to what we all love about this special part of the world, and Waatu Kaatijin is a really powerful way to engage young people to become stewards of the ocean and the coast,” Nature Conservation general manager Drew McKenzie said. “We’re asking corporate or philanthropic donors to get in touch so more local students can reap the benefits of this exciting initiative.”
