Students from Palm Island will take part in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority's "Sustaining Biodiversity" Future Leaders Eco Challenge tomorrow to celebrate the International Year for Biodiversity and the Education Queensland Year of Sustainability.

Reef Guardian Schools Education Officer Carolyn Luder said this year's Future Leaders Eco Challenge will encourage students to become ecologists by combining workshop style catchment-based activities and investigative science to predict, observe and explain the ecosystem's health.

"Students and teachers will explore the biodiversity of the island's Front Beach ecosystem and look at what is there, why it is important, and who is responsible for looking after it," she said.

"The activities have been designed to challenge students and teachers to understand linkages between ecosystems, sustainability and water quality for a greater understanding of the role that wetland's play in the Great Barrier Reef catchment area and the Reef's current and future resilience.

"Students from Bwgcolman Community School and St Michael's Catholic School will learn how to conduct seagrass monitoring, identify invertebrates, study fish habitats and will be given a presentation called Safe Guarding the Gungu about the importance of turtles to Traditional Owners."

NQ Dry Tropics Project Officer Sam Savage said they will provide the students of Palm Island with information about other coastal Traditional Owner groups in the region.

"They will also learn about the cultural significance of the Gungu (sea turtle) and how some groups look after sea country."

The students will also use fibreglass turtle shells to design their own cultural art work around their values and beliefs within their school and community.

"The outcome we are focussing on is education and awareness for community in effectively managing sea country," Mr Savage said.

Ms Luder said the Palm Island event will be the final event of the 17 Future Leaders Eco Challenges that have taken place throughout the Great Barrier Reef catchment as part of the Reef Guardian Schools program.

"Over 850 school students from Gympie to the Torres Strait have participated in the Eco Challenges and the feedback we have received is very positive."

The Reef Guardian Schools program is an environmental education program delivered, in the Townsville region, by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority in partnership with NQ Dry Tropics.

There are approximately 230 schools and 60 000 students across Queensland who are working on various environmental and sustainability projects throughout the year within their classrooms and playgrounds and in their local communities.