By Alexandra S.King (This is the third in a four-part series on the environment)
Southern African countries have embarked on an environmental education campaign to promote the protection of the region’s natural resources.
Multilateral agencies, government institutions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are realising that of all conservation efforts, awareness has the greatest potential for solving some of the environmental problems.
Several workshops are being held to influence positive change on environmental protection in the region. SADC’s Environment and Land Management Sector (SADC ELMS) based in Maseru, Lesotho, have been taking active roles in environmental awareness campaigns.
SADC ELMS recently hosted a workshop in Howick/Umgeni Valley, South Africa, which focused on environmental education in the southern African region.
The workshop was attended by representatives from 11 NGOs and 16 government institutions from SADC countries. This workshop was a follow-up to the one Windhoek, Namibia, in March 1994 in an attempt to chart a course for future environmental education in the region.
Delegates at both workshops felt the region was facing enormous environmental challenges that need a collaborative approach.
“The southern African region is a land where environmental concerns include social, political, economic and biophysical issues of crucial importance.
“Unless the environmental issues and education concerns are linked, we will have great difficulty in building and sustaining a prosperous future,” said Mr Dave Hatton, president of the Wildlife Society of South Africa.
The first workshop’s theme was networking, policy issues and conceptual frameworks on environmental education. In Howick, the workshop looked at national activities, training, production of resource material and networking, since the last workshop in Windhoek.
Country reports during the workshop showed that there is a general awareness of environmental issues in the region. Delegates from Angola noted that the country is facing serious socio-economic challenges after the war and environmental education might not be a priority issue at the moment.
“How can you tell rural people not to cut down trees or not to cultivate on riverbeds if those are the only resources they have?” said an Angolan delegate, Mrs Maria Sole.
However, some environmental campaigns are going on in Angola with a radio programme called “Green Radio” and some national environmental bulletins such as The Information Bulletin of the Green Movement.
Most countries in the region have environmental education in schools curricula, either as a separate subject or included in subjects such as biology, geography, and agriculture.
Besides Namibia and Malawi, where environment is a clause in the constitution, other countries such as South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe have a policy on environmental education.
Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe produce various books, posters, pamphlets, videos, slides, radio and television programmes on environment for education’, but it is still inadequate.
The meeting noted that there is an urgent need to train more people in environmental education. As in Windhoek, traditional knowledge and cultural practices in environmental conservation were also discussed.
Delegates felt that there is still need to explore and disseminate this valuable knowledge so that it can be included in the formal, non-formal and informal education systems of SADC countries. Although progress has been made in environmental education in the region since 1994, the gap between planning and reality of environmental awareness needs to be closed.
The role of NGOs was also highlighted, especially with regards to trying to bridge the present gap between governmental sectors and grassroots organisations.
Although delegates recommended the identification of common environmental issues where it was noted that there is need for the same thematic approach, and environmental education initiatives should be sustainable rather than dependent on outside funding and expertise.
In Windhoek in 1994, the delegates recommended the establishment of a Regional Environmental Education Centre in the SADC region and the Wildlife Society of South Africa’s Umgeni Valley Project was recommended as a possible venue for the centre.
A SADC ELMS consultant recommended the centre after a two year research study within the region in view of its facilities there. “It should be stressed, however, that the Regional Environment Education Centre is not conceived as a place that is central and developing at the expense of the region.
“Rather, it is a place that can develop regional capacity through providing facilitating networking, training and the opportunity of sharing educational resource materials. It is also essential that member countries contribute to the regional centre,” said Thomas Hertzman, who evaluated the environmental institutions and networks in the SADC region.
Namibia and Zambia also have facilities to establish such a centre. The final decision was left to SADC ELMS but it was highlighted that such a centre will help SADC countries improve conservation activities. (SARDC)
