The partnership aims to excite and educate the under 14s by encouraging them to discover nature right on their doorstep. Children will be able to take part in national surveys, enter competitions and interact with scientists online. They will also have access to a wealth of fascinating facts, articles and posters to teach them more about UK biodiversity. The magazine is supporting the OPAL project to help bring it to the attention of a younger audience.
Lauren Jarvis, Editor, National Geographic Kids, said, “By partnering with the OPAL project, we hope our young readers will start to look at their surroundings in a different way. We have a fantastic and varied range of plants and animals in this country which often goes unnoticed or unappreciated. By bringing OPAL’s activities to them we hope kids will start to realise that Britain’s wildlife is just as exciting and important as that in more exotic destinations.”
OPAL is a five year project which has received an £11.7m grant from the Big Lottery Fund to bring science and local communities closer together. The project is giving people the tools and expertise to explore and study the natural world whilst generating useful information for scientific research. By helping people to gain a greater understanding of their local environments, OPAL hopes that they will be motivated to improve and maintain them in the future. By inspiring a similar appreciation in younger audiences, the project will help to create the next generation of nature enthusiasts.
Dr. Linda Davies, OPAL Director, Imperial College London, said, “'The OPAL project aims to get more people outside observing and recording the world around them. We are particularly keen to provide opportunities for young people to get involved and to become more aware and informed about the wildlife where they live. Our partnership with National Geographic Kids is a natural fit with OPAL as we both want to excite youngsters about the natural environment. Working with the magazine is a really exciting opportunity for us to broaden the appeal of our activities to younger children.”
