<![CDATA[Lake Sentani is a freshwater ecosystem of significant ecological and socio-cultural value to the people of Papua; however, the sustainability of its biodiversity faces pressure from habitat degradation and the presence of introduced fish species. This study aims to reconstruct ecological knowledge embedded in the bhukere practice as a source of ecological literacy, develop a bhukere-based fish puppet theater to introduce the biodiversity of Lake Sentani, and identify children's responses to this medium. The study employed the Research and Development (R&D) method with a descriptive qualitative approach, encompassing stages of exploration, design, development, implementation, evaluation, and product refinement. The research subjects consisted of 58 children aged 4–5 years from two early childhood education centers in Waena Urban Village, Jayapura City. The developed product is a puppet theater performance titled Niko and Bhukere, which integrates local fish characters, ecological narratives, music, children's songs, and bhukere props made from natural materials and inorganic waste. The results indicate that the performance achieved a positive attention level of 85.4%, an increase in biodiversity understanding from 48.3% to 88.4%, a positive affective response of 88.4%, and a conservation behavior rate of 82.8%. These findings demonstrate that bhukere based fish puppet theater holds pedagogical potential as a medium for ecological literacy that is contextual, participatory, and grounded in local culture. Integrating community ecological knowledge, Lake Sentani's biodiversity, and performing arts offers an innovative strategy for fostering ecological awareness and concern among early childhood learners.]]>
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