Adaptation Education: Eco-Schools Programme with 2011 Forest focus
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| Project Objective/ Description: | CAP, through the DG Murray Trust, has been supporting the WESSA/WWF Eco-Schools Programme with tackling the complex overarching theme of climate change within the Eco-Schools framework. The aim of the Eco-Schools climate change curriculum project is to facilitate and empower schools as drivers of community action, learning and social change to reduce and offset their greenhouse gas emissions. This is being achieved by encouraging climate friendly behaviour through lessons and action projects that link with the curriculum at 168 schools nationwide. Biodiversity conservation and the maintenance of healthy ecosystems are promoted as part of climate change mitigation and adaptation. The framework of the current WESSA/WWF Eco-Schools programme forms the basis through which this is achieved.The overall theme for schools in South Africa for 2010 was Ecosystems Services and Biodiversity and how this links with climate change. As 2011 is the International Year of the Forest, eco-schools are encouraged to take up this topic but in keeping with eco-systems services concepts as they are closely connected. While South Africa doesn’t have a large amount of forest, learning about forests is none the less important, and schools will be given the freedom to focus on their particular biome to ensure contextual relevance.The Eco-Schools Programme is an international programme operating in 51 countries and in over 30 000 schools. It gives recognition to schools that can show how they have improved the quality of environmental learning and sustainable management in their schools and community. Schools work toward achieving their green flag status through learning and taking action around issues they have identified in their local school environment. |
| Contact: | Bridget Ringdahl, bridget@wessa.co.za |