Really excited to learn that I have been long-listed for my two poems, in the Threatened Treasures Poetry Anthology. The Threatened Treasures Project is a wonderful initiative by writer/illustrator Mandy Langlois and her team (comprising scientists, researchers, academics and editors amongst others), to promote awareness amongst children of the endangered Australian flora and fauna, and what Australians are doing to mitigate the threats and ensure survival. This is such an important and valuable project, to engage, inspire and bring hope to the next generation in particular, and to alert and educate teachers, librarians, parents and all Australians who are concerned about maintaining our biodiversity and preserving our unique animals and environments.
Mandy put out a call earlier this year, asking for writers to submit poems, after we had chosen from a curated (but extensive) list of threatened flora and fauna: ‘all species and ecological communities represented in the anthology (will) have strong conservation work associated with their survival.’ We had to research our chosen plant, environment or animal and provide documented evidence of this research along with our poetry, with the added criteria that the poems should be accessible and written for a child from varying age groups.
Just researching my two chosen Australian animals, taught me so much about them - their habitat and behaviour, their needs, the threats to their survival. And I was shocked to discover the extent of the flora and fauna at risk - this is a real emergency! All of us need to act now.
Please visit Threatened Treasures for more information about this worthy, volunteer-run project (and work-in-progress).
Threatened Treasures Project - a community based project to foster awareness, educate and inspire Australians to help protect their unique flora, fauna and environments.