It takes around an hour to reach Pirambeyt, an island in the Gulf of Khambat, in a sail boat from Goga, the nearest port in Bhavnagar district of Gujarat. The island, with few inhabitants, is visited during the months of January and February by school children to participate in environment education activities organised by the voluntary organisation, the Peelak Environmental Trust. The primary objective is to make children aged between 10 and 14 years, conscious by exposing them to marine life; they are also encouraged to explore the island on their own. As a person working in the field of environment education I went to the island to observe the activities at Pirambeyt. The island has a wealth of resources. Interaction with its inhabitants revealed that it had a palace and till today there are remnants found in the form of sculptures and some wells. The island, rich in fossils and a variety of stones and pebbles, is covered with patches of mangroves. During high tide you see no trace of the mangroves; and at low tide you see them in forest like clusters. A walk on the seashore reveals a variety of marine life like muskipers, fishes, crabs, lobsters, molluscs, sea worms. A look at the fisherman’s catch would show many of these in his net. At dawn, as the sun rises on the seashore you come across a range of birds busy enjoying their early meal. As you look below your feet, you notice a network of intricate patterns built by crabs. You approach them, they run to their hide-outs peeping in and out. Deeper into the sea are a few corabls. As dusk approaches and the sky darkens, oceans of stars emerge; the Trust uses them to make children familiar with planets and the constellations. Thus the children’s are enabled to “feel” nature. Studies reveal that the island is subjected to degradation. Valuable fossils are stolen. There is exploitation of mangroves forests and overgrazing has become a regular practice. People bring their goats and sheep from Goga for grazing. This has reduced the green cover to a considerable extent and has led to erosion of land. Mangroves, which are cut regularly, are disappearing fast. The Trust has intervened to protect the island through environment education targeted at children. But informing them of its history, its natural riches, its present state and the steps that need to be taken to protect it, will not suffice. Hence the Trust has built bunds to prevent erosion. A tank is being dug to collect rain water and store it, as fresh water is scarce. Ecological regeneration of the mangroves has also started recently. During their visit, the children participate by building bunds. The Trust is open to ideas from children and their co-operation has made it possible to make the island a learning situation. q
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