Community Education as an Environmental Conservation Method
One thing everyone who cares about environmental conservation realises really quickly is that there’s no single, simple solution to the problems we face, whether it’s deforestation or animal poaching, to name just 2 examples. One of the approaches I’ve found quite thought-provoking lately is that of educating the community about environmental issues, including animal conservation. For instance, in the communities around Shamwari Game Reserve in South Africa an eco-schools project has been set up.
This project teaches the kids about things like resource management - water being an especially important topic - and the importance of recycling and cleaning up litter. Recently I led a group of kids on a big clean-up day! It was so much fun! The kids also get taught about the necessity of looking after their wildlife, including highly endangered animals like the rhino.
For a bit more information about the project near Shamwari, check out my recent blog post.
These kinds of projects aren’t going to solve the problem right now. They’re also not going to work perfectly in the future. For instance, some of the kids who march through the streets with hand-drawn posters saying Save Our Rhinos are probably just excited because they’re out the classroom. Some will grow up desperate for money, and they’ll turn to rhino poaching if the government and anti-poaching efforts haven’t put a stop to this vile industry.
But I still think it’s really important. This kind of problem requires a lot of solutions, and I also think that our message of environmental conservation will reach some of these children and help change the future of our planet.
What do you think? Have you come across any news of these projects making a difference, or is it too early to say yet? Do you think they’re useful for the future of environmental conservation in South Africa and around the world? Or do these projects come too late? I'd love to learn more about this approach and hear alternative opinions.
This project teaches the kids about things like resource management - water being an especially important topic - and the importance of recycling and cleaning up litter. Recently I led a group of kids on a big clean-up day! It was so much fun! The kids also get taught about the necessity of looking after their wildlife, including highly endangered animals like the rhino.
For a bit more information about the project near Shamwari, check out my recent blog post.
These kinds of projects aren’t going to solve the problem right now. They’re also not going to work perfectly in the future. For instance, some of the kids who march through the streets with hand-drawn posters saying Save Our Rhinos are probably just excited because they’re out the classroom. Some will grow up desperate for money, and they’ll turn to rhino poaching if the government and anti-poaching efforts haven’t put a stop to this vile industry.
But I still think it’s really important. This kind of problem requires a lot of solutions, and I also think that our message of environmental conservation will reach some of these children and help change the future of our planet.
What do you think? Have you come across any news of these projects making a difference, or is it too early to say yet? Do you think they’re useful for the future of environmental conservation in South Africa and around the world? Or do these projects come too late? I'd love to learn more about this approach and hear alternative opinions.