New educational game highlights sustainability issues

ABU DHABI: The International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC), the global leader in preemptive species conservation, has enhanced its burgeoning reputation at the forefront of digital learning with the launch of ‘Centennial in Review’, its second educational game.

Produced in both Arabic and English, ‘Centennial in Review’, launched on Saturday to mark World Education Day, gives players an interactive education experience on current global sustainability issues and allows them to build connections across scientific concepts, actual occurrences and their real-life impacts.

‘Centennial in Review’ is the latest product from IFHC’S diverse, interactive conservation education programme, which is integrated in the UAE national school curriculum. Its launch follows the success of the Fund’s first gamification tool titled ‘Journey of a Bird,’ which teaches students about the importance of the houbara bustard to the UAE’S heritage and the wider ecosystem.

It has become a crucial education tool since the onset of digital learning in 2020 and has now been officially recognised by the UAE Ministry of Education (MOE).

It is available to all schoolchildren and teachers in the UAE through the MOE online learning plaforms and has received tremendous response from students and educators; it has been downloaded more than 4,000 times.

‘Centennial in Review’, while a powerful tool aimed at educating students and promoting the Moe’s focus on conservation, is also open to the wider public. By taking part in the event, IFHC aims to educate individuals on their own environmental impact on the planet.

IFHC has made great strides in engaging youth on the importance of conservation via its ‘Conservation Education: the Houbara Model’ programme which has reached more than 55,000 students. The Fund has successfully adapted its programme for digital plaforms, providing young learners with a seamless and uninterrupted learning experience, with IFHC now recognised as a key education partner of the MOE.

The International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC) continues the task to rescue the threatened houbara bustard. A global conservation strategy was developed and implemented over the past forty years with the aim of ensuring the species have a sustainable future in the wild through effective and appropriate conservation programmes and management plans.

Since its formation in 2006, IFHC has been encouraging sustainable practices to ensure the species’ conservation.