BRAVE AT FAIA - school programme

The educational program Brave at Faia will allow us to receive schools from across the country. So far, ATN has developed one day school programs, which, due to travel time, ...

The educational program Brave at Faia will allow us to receive schools from across the country. So far, ATN has developed one day school programs, which, due to travel time, was only accessible to local schools.

What we hope to accomplish with this programme, and for that we are asking for support, is is to acquire 6 safari tents, so that we can receive school groups overnight. The experience of sleeping outside and exploring the reserve at night will be a unique opportunity for many children.

Brave at Faia is a fusion between an existing need and an area with a lot to offer. We would like to give schools the opportunity to create activities which encourage experience in nature, using different disciplines and in line with their school curriculum.

At ATN we have the human resources and flexibility to create and support programs tailored to the needs of each school group.

Among several activities that can be tailored, we offer:

1.  Theme walks

• •Guided walk of the flora and fauna of the Coa
• •Time travel – from the Upper Palaeolithic to the present day
• •The hidden mysteries of the night: animals, noises, lights and stars
• •The geological secrets of Faia Brava

2.  Wildlife watching

• •Large birds of prey
• •Field birds and forest birds
• •Feeding vultures
• •Identifying invertebrates

3.  Practical workshops

• •Nature photography
• •Discovering animal tracks
• •Building nest boxes
• Tree planting and nursery maintenance

4. Educational games

• •Treasure hunt
• The Bonelli’s Eagle Hunt
• The web – the role of each element in the ecosystem

About the author

Associação Transumância e Natureza  (ATN) is a non-profit organization which dedicates to the management of natural areas and nature conservation.

With the vision of creating spaces for nature, its activity is based on conservation action through a model of local management of sustainable natural areas. At this time we manage approximately 800 hectares, the Faia Brava Reserve, which we hope to continue expanding, through the acquisition of more land.

The Faia Brava Reserve is the first private protected area in Portugal, located in the Côa Valley (Northeast of Portugal). Over the steep valley of the Côa river, the great birds of prey which choose this location to nest, hover over blanket of cork and holm oaks.

13 years of ATN experience, rooted in this interior region, give us the notion that  there is still a long way to go to achieve a real valuation of the natural assets that we manage.

In 2011, ATN created the Hortas da Sabóia Reception Centre, a space within Faia Brava, which allows us to host members, visitors, volunteers and school groups. It is about 3 km away from the village of Algodres and access is limited to 4WD cars, access by foot, horseback or bicycle.

At Hortas da Sabóia, we organise camping programmes, courses, workshops and volunteer work, receiving over 800 visitors every year.

Budget and due dates

Images

Documents

• Bravos na Faia.pdf

  pdf • 1.23 MB