conservation education
L O C A L A C T I O N A N D L E A R N I N G F O R S U S TA I N A B L E L I V I N G
"C.A.P.E. will co-ordinate conservation education in the Cape Floristic Region linked to projects at individual sites.
An emphasis will be placed on active participation and learning, by engaging communities and other stakeholders
in local and regional environmental issues." (C.A.P.E. strategy document)
co-ordination and networking
strategy development
The C.A.P.E Conservation Education
Programme works with C.A.P.E. partners
to strengthen local action and learning
for sustainable living.
local action
and learning for
sustainable
living
WITH C.A.P.E. CONSERVATION
EDUCATION PARTNERS
The C.A.P.E. Conservation Education
Programme is committed to supporting
its partners to develop capacity and take
more effective action.
The C.A.P.E Conservation Education Programme
works with C.A.P.E. partners to strengthen local
action and learning for sustainable living.
Conservation Education in the Cape Floristic Region
is broad, and involves a diversity of programmes
and learner groups. School learners, adult learners,
land owners, youth, communities, business leaders
and government employees are some of the
learner groups currently participating in
conservation education programmes.
The programme participates in C.A.P.E’s broad
network, keeping conservation education on the
agenda of partner groups. Through a participatory
approach to professional development, the
programme supports C.A.P.E. partners to share
experiences and resources. The programme also
supports improved communications, encourages
educational forums and links different networks
and groups through a website and regular updates
on conservation education activities in the CFR.
Numerous institutional partners involved in the
C.A.P.E. have already devised conservation education strategies to guide their institutional planning
and resource allocation. Many others, however,
have fragmented institutional approaches to
conservation education, and have expressed an
interest in designing strategies to guide their
organisational planning and activities. To strengthen
institutional development, the programme has
developed an enabling and participatory approach
to strategy development amongst C.A.P.E. partners.
A strategy development toolkit supports organisational planning by providing guidance on planning,
management and resourcing of conservation
education at an institutional level. Through its
professional development function, the C.A.P.E
Conservation Education Programme supports
partners to develop their conservation education
strategies. This includes support for programme
and business planning for smaller organisations.
professional development
More conservation education professionals
with experience and knowledge are needed
in C.A.P.E partner organisations to
strengthen learning and local action for
sustainable development in the CFR.
The C.A.P.E Conservation Education Programme has
formed a partnership with Rhodes University’s Gold
Fields Participatory Course in Environmental Education. This course, with its proven twelve year impact
across southern Africa, guides conservation education professionals to analyse their organisational
strategy in relation to international trends, principles
and practice. It also builds capacity for programme
and materials development. Professionals on the
course produce learning support materials and
programmes that are organisation / context specific.
Each year, the C.A.P.E Conservation Education Programme offers bursaries to 20 conservation education professionals working in C.A.P.E. partner organisations to complete the year-long, semi-distance course.
Additional professional development programmes
can also be developed with the C.A.P.E. Conservation
Education Programme’s support when needed.
Working with a range of education service providers,
the C.A.P.E Conservation Education Programme is
also enabling conservation educators to identify and
take up other relevant professional development
opportunities.
materials development
The C.A.P.E. Conservation Education
Programme works with partners who
are developing materials for conservation education programmes. In doing this
it adopts an enabling approach, maintaining a database of the materials available
to encourage sharing of materials and a
reduction of unnecessary duplication.
The Programme is producing a series of enabling
materials to guide and support co-operative work
in key programme areas. These include materials
that provide orientation to working in settings
such as formal education and local government,
and working with land owners and the wider public.
supporting the formal education sector
The C.A.P.E Conservation Education
Programme recognises the significant
transformation that has taken place in
South Africa’s education system.
Teachers and conservation education organisations
face new challenges in responding to changes in
curriculum and approaches to teaching and
learning. The C.A.P.E. Conservation Education
Programme provides an opportunity for
conservation educators to work with schools and
the education sector to strengthen curriculum
implementation and active learning approaches.
In doing this, the C.A.P.E. Conservation Education
Programme draws on the guidance provided by
the Department of Education as a key stakeholder
responsible for enabling learning and local action
for sustainable living in the Cape Floristic Region.
Through its partners, the C.A.P.E. Conservation
Education Programme will develop guidelines and
support for curriculum interpretation and changes
in teaching and learning in schools and other
institutions of learning.
As partner organisations develop and accumulate
materials that address the priorities of the C.A.P.E
programme, such materials can be categorised
and shared for conservation education in the CFR.
the C.A.P.E. conservation education programme
The C.A.P.E. Conservation Education Programme works with all C.A.P.E
activities and partners within a partnership framework.
The aim of the programme is to strengthen local action and learning for
sustainable living in the Cape Floristic Region.
The scope of the programme is the Cape Floristic Region (CFR).
This involves working with learner groups ranging from children in
schools, to youth and adults in higher education institutions,
conservation organisations, local government departments and
various community groups.
The focus of the programme is co-ordinated institutional development, professional
development and materials development for conservation education in the CFR.
Educationally, the programme aims to encourage educators and learners in the CFR to survey
local landscapes and change, audit biodiversity, investigate ecosystem services and human
Activities within the programme include:
- Co-ordination and networking
- Strategy development
- Professional development
- Materials development
- School and education sector support
livelihoods and assess environmental issues and risks. This will inform deliberations on human
well-being and lifestyle choices.
C.A.P.E. Conservation Education Programme Co-ordinator
Rhodes University Environmental Education & Sustainabilty Unit
PO Box 94, Grahamstown, 6140
Tel: +27-46-622 3432
Fax: +27-46-636 1495
e-mail: capeccep@ru.ac.za
website: www.cape.org.za