A new life for the educational kit "The Forest Told Me"

"I'm responsible for the environmental management of the water resources of Greater Lyon, which requires us to manage 150 hectares of forest. Thus we already participate with FRAPNA on the Urban Lyon service in nature-culture booklets which highlight the fauna and flora (beaver, bat, etc.). This explains why I'm enthusiastic about the project."

Bertrand Perrin

As the Fédération des associations de protection de la nature en Rhône-Alpes, dedicated for 40 years to environmental conservation, FRAPNA is present throughout French territory, via its eight provincial branches. Apart from raising the awareness of the young public and environmental education, its projects, with a presence in over 1,000 official commissions, consists in participating in the public debate and also in proposing recommendations for better respect of the environment. For the youth public cohort, FRAPNA launched a campaign in 2002 on the theme of the forest (a first campaign was dedicated to the river, "The River Told Me").

2011, International Year of the Forest

The "The Forest Told Me" software, already circulated in 4,000 copies, is no longer available today, whereas many schools and recreational facilities are developing projects around this theme, especially on the occasion of International Year of the Forest in 2011. FRAPNA therefore wants to reprint it after a modernization (CD rom), and also to enrich it with new topics like alluvial forests, their role in water purification, old-growth forests, etc. The reprinting in 3,000 copies will also be accompanied by a training and stimulation campaign throughout the France Nature Environnement (FNE) network. No fewer than 20,000 children, school structures and mass public will ultimately benefit from the FRAPNA projects on this theme in Rhône-Alpes and more broadly, throughout French territory, via the use of the software during nature excursions in a forest environment.

The Foundation is participating in the production of this kit.