fans&friends National Park Hohe Tauern
Building Water Literacy and Environmental Responsibility
he project strengthens environmental education with a focus on water literacy for young learners. Based on 25 years of experience in education, this new phase builds upon the programme's reach to rural and urban middle schools in Austria, where a significant gap in hands-on environmental education remains. The project will involve public school teachers and National Park Rangers co-delivering curriculum-based water education, supported by materials tailored to the age group and context. Teachers incorporate water-related topics into regular classroom instruction, while Rangers will provide experiential learning through outdoor workshops and excursions in the National Park or school surroundings.
he alpine region faces significant challenges due to climate change, including water scarcity, rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and glacier retreat. Projections indicate that by 2100, temperatures could rise above the global average by up to 4°C, severely impacting the region’s water balance. Prolonged drought phases and extreme rainfall events are becoming increasingly evident, leading to environmental and economic damage. Sustainable water management strategies are, therefore, a pressing concern.
Sourced by Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism, 2018 & 2023
Knowledge Gains: 98% of students reported improved water knowledge; 98% enjoyed participating in the mobile Waterschool. 72.2% of Teach for Austria students enjoyed their water projects with 73.8% reporting knowledge increase.
Behavioural Change: 84% of students shared their learning with family and friends; most reported on adopting water-saving and sustainable behaviours at home. This is also supported by anecdotal evidence from parents' and teachers' surveys.
Teacher Engagement: 90% of participating teachers gave top marks to the programme, with 72.5% integrating Waterschool content into ongoing teaching.
Image courtesy of Room to Read
At the Swarovski Foundation, we take pride in supporting organisations like fans&friends Nationalpark Hohe Tauern.
Since its inception, the Austrian Waterschool programme has directly reached over
105000
children in Austria, South Tyrol (Italy), and Germany.
The pre/post programme survey in 2023 confirmed that more than
50
percent of middle school students report positive behavioural changes towards awareness and care for natural resources like water.
Knowledge on water-related topics also increased by up to
34
percent.
Learning about water made me realize it’s not endless. Seeing the glacier and testing water samples showed me how important it is to protect it. I feel proud to help, even in small ways.
My name is Vincent, I am 8 years old, and I live in the middle of the Hohe Tauern National Park. Last week, for the first time, a National Park ranger named Konrad came to our school and told us all about water for three days. Now I know about the water cycle and how water goes from the sea into the air and then back into the sea. Konrad did many experiments with us and showed us how rocks and soil clean the water. I know that other children, for example in Africa, are not as lucky; they don't have toilets or water from the tap. The girls there have to fetch water with a heavy canister for 8 hours a day. I feel sorry for them. Konrad asked us what we can do better, and we had many ideas. I will not let the water run while brushing my teeth anymore, so I will use less water. I told my two brothers that we won't make water balloons anymore in the summer, and I told Mum to always use rainwater for watering the flowers instead of water from the garden hose. I wish all children in the world were as lucky as us.
Vincent VS Döllach / Großkirchheim
