A few words about the story: The narrator, a pilot, crashes his plane in the Sahara Desert. There he meets the Little Prince, a child from a small planet, B612. The Little Prince tells him about his adventures, his travels to various planets and his encounters with various characters. Through these stories, Saint-Exupéry touches on important themes, such as loneliness, the importance of relationships and the need to see the world with the eyes of the heart.

Some of the book's most famous messages:

"The essential is invisible to the eye."

"You are forever responsible for what you have tamed."

"People have forgotten this truth, but you must not forget it. You are forever responsible for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose..."

Chapter 8 : The Forest Keepers in Arcadia

The little prince meets the Forest Guardians in Arcadia Greece. They explain the Little Prince the importance of forest fire prevention and the way they make sure that nature can heal and grow again after it has been damaged.

Over the last twenty years, approximately 10,000 wildfires have occurred in Greece each year, burning an average of 500,000 acres.

How many wildfires have occurred in Greece each year over the last twenty years? -

Is only Greece burning?  

In the Mediterranean between 2009-2018, we had 56,000 incidents of rural forest fires and 3,750,000 acres of burned forest land.

What kind of plants used to be here before the fire?

In the fires of Arcadia-Messina in 2021, here in Kamaritsa, mainly oak forests and sclerophyllous vegetation burned.

What is Sclerophyll vegetation ?

Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that is adapted to long periods of dryness and heat. 

Why are you called Forest Keepers?

We monitor the progress of natural regeneration.

What is natural regeneration?

Natural forest rebirth is the regeneration of the forest after fire by seeds, root growth and sapling growth

There are specific stages of natural regeneration:

After a disturbance, such as a fire, the soil is cleared of burnt debris and enriched with nutrients.

Then, tree seeds are dispersed by wind, animals, or water.

After that, seeds sprout and flourish.

These seedlings compete for light, water, and nutrients, and the most resilient survive and develop into mature trees.

Finally, the forest reaches a mature stage, where biodiversity and ecological balance have been restored.

In most cases, Mediterranean forests have the mechanisms to regenerate naturally. However, The natural rebirth of a forest is a complex process that depends on several factors such as

That's good news for the inhabitants of the Earth.

Forest type: Different tree species have different requirements for regeneration.

Soil conditions: Soil quality, moisture, and nutrient availability play a key role

Seed availability: The presence of healthy, seed-producing trees is essential. A pine tree needs 15 years to produce seeds. If a second or even worse a third fire bursts out sooner, there won't be any seeds under the ground and it will be difficult for the forest to grow again.

Climate: Temperature, rainfall, and sunshine affect the growth of new trees.

Natural disturbances: Fires, storms, and floods can disrupt a forest, but they can also create opportunities for regeneration.

What are you doing in this forest today?

We have to ensure that natural regeneration  is progressing smoothly and to identify potential risks such as grazing, trespass, generally illegal activities.

We also complete protocols, grid measurements.

What are you writing? What is a protocol?

Our project consists of ensuring natural rebirth and we gather information on the protocol, this questionnaire.  We register the number of regenerating plants and use this info to ameliorate things.

Your job seems so important!

On the Kanavos, that is a square meter area, we observe the rebirth of the seedlings, animal or human presence and we register the information on the protocol

What factors affect the regeneration of the forests?

The climate crisis is bringing about major changes in the way forests regenerate. Human actions, such as logging and reforestation, can also affect regeneration.

What is the climate change?

Human activity is gradually affecting the Earth’s climate, adding enormous amounts of greenhouse gases to those naturally found in the atmosphere.

These additional gases enhance the “greenhouse effect” in our planet’s atmosphere, causing the Earth’s temperature to rise at an unexpected rate and causing important changes in the climate.

What are the impacts of climate change?

400,000 premature deaths per year due to air pollution

90,000 deaths per year due to heatwaves

40% less water in southern EU regions

2.2 million people at risk of coastal flooding each year

€190 billion in annual economic losses, that means more and more people live in poverty.

What can you do to save your planet?

 Humans focus on  the real causes of fires, their connection to climate change and the value of prevention. The students  are mobilizing support and taking action

Our objective is to enhance the climate resilience and ecological status of the most vulnerable forests through the identification, recording and importance of areas requiring intervention. (WWF Greece)

Skills Development

Active Citizenship Skills, Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Communication, Scientific Research Experience

Students gain the opportunity through Citizen Science to become active as scientists who collect, record and register data for monitoring the natural regeneration of the burned forest. The data is registered in a database and helps the scientific work of WWF Greece in the protection of forests and in particular the natural restoration of the forest after the fire. With forest fires now threatening more and more forest ecosystems, this program is of crucial importance for all of Greece. 

Links and Resources

https://www.wwf.gr/ti_kanoume/fysh/dasi/apokatastasi/fysiki_anagenisi/ (WWF GREECE)

https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:EU:dd5e03be-d5f2-4121-8751-e12d0d3fd2d6

https://climate-pact.europa.eu/about/climate-change_el (E.U)

https://www.msvf.gr/el/ (MVSF STASINOPOULIO)

Illustration:

Photos taken on the field trip (Kamaritsa, Arcadia) with WWF group 

Students' drawings

Gemini Al application

https://pixabay.com

The "Forest Guardians" is an Environmental Educational Program implemented by WWF Greece in the framework of "citizen science". The students of our school have participated in the project and recorded their experience by combining literature and nature in the present digital book. 

A collaboration between the Arcadia Primary Education Directorate and WWF Greece, within the framework of the 2nd Green Dreams Festival of the Arcadia Primary Education Directorate.

The program is implemented with the support of the Michael N. Stasinopoulos Public Benefit Foundation

The book was created by the 5th and 6th grade students of Tegea Primary School in Arcadia, Greece and their English teacher Ms Irini Darlasi in March 2025. The Greek teachers Ms Kyriakoula Bouziani (6th grade) and Ms Stamatina Ntelopoulou (5th grade), both etwinning members, have supported the children with the WWF educational material and activities during the WWF project "The Guardians of the Forest". We incorporated this new experience into the SKILLS WORKSHOPS curriculum and we also integrated this work in our ETWINNING project "European Day of Languages - and beyond" (2024).