WESSA - 90 Years of People Caring for the Earth

By Jim Taylor 90 years of WESSA securing a sustainable future for all By Dr Ji Taylor

By Jim Taylor a tribute to mlindeli GCUMISA By Dr Jim Taylor

wessa and SADC REEP

a non-racial, private body, saw the importance of offering people of all races the opportunity to become involved in and become aware of conservation and related environmental matters through the ACE courses. Such programmes were well supported by Dr Nolly Zaloumis, a past President of WESSA, and many other public spirited members. The ACE courses became increasingly popular and were later adopted by Barry Marshall, Mduduzi Mchunu and other staff members of the KwaZulu Bureau of Natural Resources. Many, many teachers and traditional leaders attended these inspiring courses for over a decade. Such programmes have certainly laid an important foundation for the increasing environmental awareness and environmental understanding that is so evident today. Sadly, Mlindeli Gcumisa died in 2008. We honour the work of a great man!

The unanimous approval of the Sustainable Development Goals by 193 countries in September 2015 represents one of the most significant policy shifts in recent history. Officially, at least, the environment movement and actions towards sustainability are at the forefront of global policy. For the environmental movement is this a dream come true or must the real work now begin? Since the 70’s, WESSA has had an active commitment to environmental education as the key long-term driver of change for a more sustainable future. Projects such as the Twinstreams Environmental Education Centre at Mtunzini are reputed to be the first established EE centre in Africa and one of the first world-wide. This environmental education centre, established by Ian Garland and his family, has offered practical and applied training courses for many leaders in society. By the 90’s virtually all traditional leaders in KwaZulu-Natal had attended courses at the centre and each course included studies of sustainable agriculture, ecology, conservation, land and coastal management. The establishment of Twinstreams was followed closely by Umngeni Valley where, by 1995, 19 000 participants were attending organised courses each year. Bushpigs, an EE Centre north of Johannesburg, and Treasure Beach two other centres managed by WESSA, continue to provide action-based learning courses. A further highlight of this work was when the SADC Regional Environmental Education Programme was established by SADC. Remarkably the project was signed into existence by Nelson Mandela (the then Chair of SADC) and WESSA was asked to manage the programme with the work likely to continue well beyond 2016. The thousands of participants on courses and workshops attest to the effectiveness of this multi-national education programme, and three external evaluations have ground-truthed the effectiveness of the programme and reported on its excellence.

Dr Jim Taylor, Director of Environmental Education for WESSA, remembers inspiring leadership in the early days of WESSA’s environmental education programme. Mlindeli Gcumisa was a man who, through his work with WESSA and later with Ezemvelo KZNWildlife, made significant contributions to environmental awareness and understanding in South Africa. His work was especially important in the 70’s, long before environmental matters and the importance of life support systems achieved high profile status. Mlindeli Gcumisa was one of the first education officers to be employed by WESSA. A committed conservationist, Gcumisa was well known for his inspiring speeches, his poetry, his knowledge of the environment, as well as isiZulu customs and related indigenous knowledge processes. In 1976, Mlindeli Gcumisa took over the running of the WESSA managed African Conservation Education (ACE) project, a project that WESSA had taken over from its initiator, Dr Lynn Hurry of the Eshowe Training College and had been run by Garth Owen-Smith from 1975 to 1976. As the ACE Co-ordinator, Gcumisa became well known for his work with learners, teachers and tribal authorities in northern KwaZulu-Natal. The ACE project included a “flagship” four- day environmental education programme, which provided a holistic view of the environment, ecology and human livelihoods. During the course, participants undertook field studies and visited nature reserves, agricultural projects, and local industry in the Richards Bay region. Ian Garland’s Twinstreams Project, where various catchments have been rehabilitated, became a focal venue for these courses, which included a trail through the Ongoye Forest and studies of indigenous knowledge processes. Gcumisa also produced a regular radio programme called Ubuhle Bemvelo (The Beauty of Nature) that proved very popular. The establishment of the ACE project came at a significant time in South Africa’s conservation history. Due to apartheid legislation, black people were denied entry to many of the better-known government-run game reserves. The Society,

In 1993 the Southern African Development Community (SADC) initiated the establishment of a Regional Environmental Education Programme (REEP), which was formalised in 1997, when WESSA was chosen to host the programme and implementation partners were secured. The SADC REEP project was signed into existence by Nelson Mandela (the then Chair of SADC) and the work supports the SADC Member States with Environmental Education programmes. One outcome of this work has been the establishment of three University Chairs in Education for Sustainable Development. The SADC REEP implements its programme through five components: policy support, networking and partnerships, materials development, and training and research. It also works with different partners such as the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), USAID, Rhodes University, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the United Nations University, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and others. The SADC-REEP has undergone a number of external and internal evaluations in the 14 years since it was established. These have been especially complimentary about the effectiveness and relevance of the work in bringing about meaningful change in the region. Dr Jim Taylor

Flashback

Natal Fieldwork Section outing to Himeville in the 70’s (Keith Cooper on the far right)

10 | 90 years of people caring for the earth

11 | 90 years of people caring for the earth