Western Cape receives International Eco-Centre Awards

Edith Stephens Nature Reserve – bird island

They are the Mike Woods Environmental Education Centre in the Helderberg Nature Reserve (Somerset West), False Bay Nature Reserve (Rondevlei), Zandvlei Nature Reserve (Steenberg), Kristo Pienaar Environmental Education Centre in the Tygerberg Nature Reserve (Durbanville), Edith Stephens Nature Reserve (Philippi), and the Simonsberg Environmental Education Centre of the Greater Simonsberg Conservancy (Stellenbosch).

This award is only given to eco-centres that are registered with WESSA and that meet the strict criteria set by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) based in Denmark. The International Eco-Centres and Eco-Schools Programmes have been implemented in South Africa by WESSA since 2003 and are funded nationally by Nampak and PetroSA.

Education programmes

Each year the WESSA eco-centres are assessed on their sustainable practices and environmental education programmes. They are required to submit a portfolio of evidence that showcases their community outreach programmes, learner experiences, environmental audits and uniquely developed eco-code of living.

All of the centres offer environmental education to schools as well as peaceful and well-preserved nature areas to be utilised and enjoyed both by the surrounding community and by people visiting from further afield.

The Mike Woods Environmental Education Centre received a Double Bronze Award following 11 years of commitment to the eco-centres programme. They are one of a handful of reserves in the country to have achieved this status.

A total of nine City of Cape Town nature reserves and two private environmental education centres have shown their commitment to registering their eco-centres for the next 2014/2015 round of the International Eco-Centre Awards.