On the art of adapting

"Humans are merely nature's guests and she will always find a way, we just need to submit to the process," says the public relations officer of the National Park Centre in Zernez, explaining the work done by national park's staff. The students of the HIF listen closely. Arranged by Fränzi Gissler, the entire school has come to Zernez for the Leadership Day.

At seven in the morning, Ftan glistens with frost left by a clear night. Fränzi Gissler assembles the students, and they take the train from Scuol across the Engadine mountains to Zernez. A short hike later, they reach the Swiss National Park Centre. A bright concrete building, it looks something of an anomaly in the landscape, yet still manages to fit in against the backdrop of grey rock and blue sky.

Inside, the students split into three groups to study adaptation strategies. "The mountain hare has adapted the colour of its fur so it can hide more easily in the snow and ice. But what will happen if climate change causes the snow to recede?" "The mountain hare will either adapt by growing darker fur or die out", is the park employee's frank answer.

For HIF students, leadership means selecting issues they personally care about and which reflect their interests from among a wide variety of information. Afterwards, they are expected to learn about the topic by themselves and prepare a presentation. They are now the leaders and must decide, not the teachers. Teaching staff stand ready to assist. Much like the national park's employees who give nature free rein, we want the students to have room to develop, following their own inspiration and creativity.

The visit to the national park's museum continues with workshops covering topics as varied as nature itself. Wild animals, plants; even inconspicuous things can turn out to hold much more fascination then initially suspected. The basic question of how to define a lichen had the students deep in thought. "A symbiotic organism comprised of fungi and plants", explains the museum guide, adding "it is only together that they can survive in inhospitable regions". Different forms of life means different adaptation strategies. Migratory birds leave for warmer regions while the common adder is capable of expanding its body surface area to absorb more sunlight. After the tour, the students have a little time to explore the museum and acquire facts for their respective topics.

Outside, it's a warm autumn day and the students gather in front of the museum for lunch before returning to the Institute. The afternoon workshops are an opportunity to present the first of their ideas. Their presentations will be as individual as the students' interests.