WESSA Annual Review 2022

uMngeni Valley Education Centre and Nature Reserve UV is located below the famous Howick Falls with a wide range of habitats varying from bushveld terrain and mist belt grasslands. The reserve enables people to connect with nature through a network of trails providing great access to unique landscapes, flora, and fauna. Exciting news! uMngeni Valley Education Centre has been accredited as a science centre by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA). uMngeni Valley Nature Reserve We are embarking on a journey to restore the reserve’s ecological integrity around Howick. The aim is to open opportunities for community upliftment through community-based projects or programmes that will ultimately lead to the conservation of nature. Total reach:

Treasure Beach Education Centre The centre is in the Bluff area, South of Durban and offers an array of coastal programmes such as mangroves, rocky shore studies, and ecological studies. Total reach:

70 educators

886 learners

1519 learners

131 educators

Projects and other programmes

DUCT - Amanzi Ethu Nobuntu project Partnership WESSA uMngeni Valley Nature Reserve has been fortunate enough to host the Amanzi Ethu Nobuntu Phase 2 team. Since the inception of the AEN phase 2 project, the team at WESSA uMngeni valley have been conducting vital activities that enable the reserve to function as well as providing valuable inputs regarding the quality of the water for the streams which run within our reserve. The information they captured shall be added to our management plan and will be a guideline for management purposes.

Mthunzini Rotary Project

Working on fire (Wof) Partnership

Hilton Effect

EDETEA project

The Hilton effect project is an ESTEAM project that aims to improve scientific understanding for learners. Over 200 learners were reached.

We received funding support from the Department of Economic Development and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) to support the curriculum at schools through our WESSA on Wheels (WOW) programme. Over 1500 learners were reached through the project.

WESSA uMngeni Valley Nature Reserve has been in partnership with Working on Fire for the past three years and the relationship has been very fruitful. The team is responsible for an array of tasks ranging from base maintenance, firefighting, and alien invasive control.

We received project funding from the Canadian Rotary club through the Mthunzini Rotary club. The project’s aim is to improve environmental literacy in KZN rural communities and to also provide curriculum support through learner centered lessons for all STEM subjects. We reached over 180 learners and 21 educators.

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