Team Panda students with WWF's Chief Scientist for Climate Change Dr. Lara Hansen, and Eric Mielbrecht, WWF's consultant on coral reef resiliency in American Samoa. Marathon, FL. 2004. © WWF US

Team Panda is a group of sixteen high school students from the Florida Keys dedicated to learning about and acting as stewards for the irreplaceable south Florida environment. Through first-hand exploration of south Florida's ecosystem, better understanding the role that human inhabitants play in it, and conveying what they learn to the public and decisionmakers, Team Panda has already had a considerable impact.

As the next generation of conservation leaders, the team's significant achievements have made them true heroes, and one of the most exciting and far-reaching initiatives WWF's South Florida Program has undertaken.

Several Team Panda students first took action by presenting testimony before Governor Lawton Chiles and the Florida Cabinet in support of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, for which they were recognized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with Environmental Hero awards.

Advocates for the environment
More recently, Team Panda's students became powerful advocates for the Tortugas Marine Reserve, now North America's largest fully-protected marine reserve and one of the world's most significant coral conservation areas.

One of the highlights of WWF's work with Team Panda has been providing opportunities for them to learn about the interconnectedness of the Everglades, Florida Bay and Florida Keys natural systems. Students were able to join Audubon scientist Dr. Jerry Lorenz on his ground-breaking research on roseate spoonbills in Everglades National Park, for example, learning about the birds' ecology and population dynamics. By gaining a firsthand understanding of this imperiled species, Team Panda is now better able to understand how decisions about restoration of Everglades water flow are critically important for greater south Florida ecosystem.

"The coral reef will be gone before my grandchildren get a chance to see it"
Following a stimulating presentation given in August 2004 by Dr. Lara Hansen, WWF's Chief Scientist for Climate Change, Team Panda has now chosen to turn its efforts toward understanding global warming, and acting to minimize its impacts on their environment. Their mission? No less than saving their world. The students have launched an ambitious project to discover the damage that global warming is causing, and what it means for the communities -- both human and wild -- of south Florida. In the first phase Team Panda partnered with scientists, resource managers and conservationists to learn about global climate change and its threats to the Florida Keys and Everglades.

In December 2004 the students traveled to Miami to testify before the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force at its biannual meeting, raising awareness and demanding action. "For all the 17 years of my life that I've lived in the Florida Keys I've taken for granted the resources around me," student Kelley Greenman told the Task Force. "I don't anymore. Because of global warming the coral reef and my home are in danger and will be gone before my grandchildren even get a chance to see them."

"This world is ours to inherit - and yours to protect"
The students described how heavily Florida's economy depends on a healthy ecosystem, and spoke passionately about the values the natural environment holds for them. Team Panda urged the task force to employ a full range of tools - from improving water quality to creating healthy marine protected areas - to better insulate Florida's environment from the worst effects of global warming. "We believe that this world is ours to inherit," ninth-grader Chris Garrett reminded the Task Force in closing, "and yours to protect." The students received a standing ovation from the task force, coverage from south Florida's newspapers, and a live drivetime radio news interview. "The presentation was outstanding, and the students an inspiration," said Roger Griffis, coordinator of NOAA's coral reef conservation program. "The Task Force and others were all very impressed and spoke very highly of the group's presentation." Team Panda also testified before the Advisory Council of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

Team Panda recognizes global warming can only be defeated if the United States joins the global community and commits to significantly reducing pollution. Their proposed action plan for attacking the threat at its root is to strenuously lobby Congress to pass the McCain-Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act. To do so, they plan to bring powerful narratives to Washington about how global warming is already affecting the Keys coral reefs and the people who depend on them for their livelihoods and quality of life. Through their Climate Witness project, Team Panda will interview experienced SCUBA divers in the Keys and document the coral bleaching and disease they have witnessed, and use this information as the basis for a briefing book (with photos), Powerpoint presentation, press materials and website content.

They then plan to travel to Washington for lobbying and media training, and will spend two days lobbying key Congressional targets to sign on to the Climate Stewardship Act. The results of their initiative will also be presented to decisionmakers in Florida, promoted to national and regional media (through op-ed pieces, press releases and radio interviews), and posted on the WWF-US website. Finally, Team Panda will begin reaching out to other students from around the world involved in Climate Witness through email and videoconferencing, helping build a committed international network of young activists.

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