REGUA’s Young Ranger programme has just celebrated its tenth year of activity.

Designed to attract local children enrolled at schools, the programme offers a weekly afternoon visit managed by the REGUA part-time teacher Professor Carlos.   The children are aged between 11 and 15 years of age and receive extra tutorials.   These  usually centre on subjects related to the environment but equally discussing social development.

The youngsters are really interested in the walks in the reserve and the visits to surrounding areas of interest.   This year we shall take them to Serra do Órgãos National Park, Três Picos Park and as far away as Rio de Janeiro.   It’s precisely on these visits that they start realising that they live in an area of outstanding natural beauty and begin to understand REGUA’s mission in the conservation of the Guapiaçu Valley.

These children grow knowing that REGUA has a non-offensive and long term objective that seeks a long term protection of the forests surrounding their homes and when they leave home and perhaps live in other areas of Brazil, they can take their experience with them, becoming multipliers of principles.