Education should be a cornerstone of every nature conservation initiative, including Owls for Peace. Informing and engaging our young and adult citizens helps fostering lasting awareness, stewardship, and implication within and across generations in the long-term. Our educational initiatives recognize the importance of involving entire communities, from decision-makers to schoolchildren, in building a more sustainable and peaceful future.

• Adults

Our primary adult audience includes farmers and key agricultural stakeholders, such as ministries of agriculture, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), and similar organisations. Through these relationships, we aim to promote environmentally sustainable farming practices and encourage the adoption of barn owl-based rodent control. To support this outreach, we will develop and distribute targeted educational materials to perform activities in classrooms and organize field trips to see owls and nature in general. This is necessary to communicate our message in accessible and engaging formats. We will organise talks and invite people to fix nest-boxes themselves in their surroundings.

• Children

We are developing age-appropriate books and educational leaflets that introduce children to barn owls and their ecological importance. A particularly engaging activity involves teaching children how to identify bones from prey animals found in owl pellets—a hands-on, fascinating way to explore biology, ecology, and the role of predators in ecosystems. Over the past five years, we have been working on a unique educational project that includes over 200 humorous and scientifically accurate illustrations explaining the biology of the barn owl. This creative material—soon to be finalized—will be used to reach children from all backgrounds and cultures, helping to build curiosity, empathy for wildlife, and global environmental awareness.

Some examples of illustrations by Alexis Nouailhat with the help of Laurent Willenegger.

Bontzorlos V, Cain S, Leshem Y, Spiegel O, Motro Y, Bloch I, Cherkaoui SI, Aviel S, Apostolidou M, Christou A, Nicolaou H, Kassinis N, Abu Rashid M, Bahdouhesh M, Roulin A. 2024. Barn owls as a nature-based solution for pest control: a multinational initiative around the Mediterranean and other regions. Conservation 4, 637-656.

Roulin A, Abu Rashid M, Spiegel B, Dreiss AN, Leshem Y. 2017. « Nature knows no boundaries »: the role of nature conservation in peacebuilding. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 32, 305-310.