Education

Education is a cornerstone of sustained conservation action, and BirdLife South Africa has developed an Environmental Education Division to contribute to this. The programme focuses on intermediate to senior phases, and is based on the BLSA book called 'Learning for Sustainable Living (LfSL)'.

The Learning for Sustainable Living Programme has now been running for seven years, and a total of 100 000 books have been printed. Seven of the nine South African provinces have had extensive coverage, with Free State and the Eastern Cape due to receive more attention. Additional value has been added in the past three years by tying the resource into the partnership with the Wildlife and Environment Society of SA (WESSA) and the Eco-Schools programme. This involves a three-year cycle, with a decreasing degree of mentorship, ending in complete self-reliance in the use of the resources for the school. The programme has been an outstanding success. In 2003 the BirdLife South Africa approach gained national recognition when the programme won the Green Trust Environmental Education award. Material is being downloaded across Africa from BirdLife South Africa's website. Books based on the South African resource are being developed in Botswana and Kenya and a version has been printed in Mandarin, for use in China. This programme is proof of the strength and benefits that a partnership can bring to a complex requirement.

A second aspect of the educational work is to facilitate and encourage sustainable, environmentally-friendly and financially beneficial activities at schools. In this way, as with the work of the community-based conservation, the environmental approach is presented as a preferable, sensible way of living!

For more information, please contact Joe Peu, Environmental Education Manager on +27(0)11 789 1122 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it