BUDDING film makers are urged to get out their devices and be creative in a unique competition backed by forestry company OneFortyOne.
The student video competition celebrates the United Nation’s International Day of Forests and is inspired by the theme Forests and Biodiversity: Too Precious to Lose.
While the region’s forestry industry underpins a bustling timber process sector, you might be surprised about the types of creatures that call the forests home.
Locally, the forests and trees in the Green Triangle provide jobs, conserve biodiversity and respond to climate change.
These sprawling plantations are even home to the odd ghost mushroom, which have shone a national light on the region’s forests.
The competition has two categories – one for primary school students and another for high school students – and the winner of each category will receive their choice of an iPad, MacBook Pro or Apple watch.
The competition is open to individual primary and secondary school aged students across the Limestone Coast.
“We’re inviting students across the Limestone Coast to send us a short video that showcases the biodiversity of our local forests,” OneFortyOne spokesperson Linda Cotterill said.
“We need young people to love our forests, whether that be Australian bushland or plantation forestry.”
It follows a summer which has resulted in plant and animal biodiversity being seriously impacted by fire.
“It is our hope that this competition can help raise awareness about just how much forests offer people and the environment,” Ms Cotterill said.
“At OneFortyOne we are genuinely committed to working with students and educators across the region to encourage young people to value forests.
“We thought this competition would be a fun way to do it and to get people out into nature.”
As part of International Day of Forests, OneFortyOne and Nature Glenelg Trust are hosting schools at Mount Burr Swamp on March 19 and 20 to share the story of the steps being taken to restore the swamp.
Students will take part in activities that use recycled goods and show how to monitor and encourage biodiversity at Mount Burr.
“With a team of professional foresters on hand, OneFortyOne is happy to come out to classrooms and talk to students, there are also free teaching resources available from ForestLearning, that have a focus on Australian forests and sustainable timber products,” Ms Cotterill said.
Visit www.onefortyone.com or email info@onefortyone.com for details of the competition.
