Title:

Environmental Education and Training Centre in desert-adapted elephant country

Author(s):
Publication Year:
2021
Abstract:

The Elephant-Human Relations Aid (EHRA) has started building its Education Centre on the northern bank of the Ugab River in the southern Kunene Region. This is a great stride forward for our environmental education programme. The Education Centre is the latest development in our ongoing PEACE (People and Elephants Amicably Co-Existing) Project, an elephant-focussed education programme that was launched in 2009 to address the increasing human-elephant conflict issues. Through our PEACE Projects we have experienced first-hand that by dispensing knowledge and raising awareness we can empower and inspire both young and old community members to develop and implement sustainable solutions to the problems related to sharing resources with elephants. In our approach we recognise the communities' custodianship over natural resources and seek to develop their sense of environmental protection and appreciation of the natural environment. Our education currently centres on the topics of elephant conservation and fostering a peaceful co-existence between the local communities and elephants through our conflict mitigation workshops. But the Kunene Region is not just famous for its elephants. It has pristine mountainous environments, rich in wildlife and culture. One cannot talk about the conservation of a species without talking about the environment with which it interacts. The new Education Centre will therefore go beyond elephant conservation and include all aspects of environmental conservation.

Publication Title:

Conservation and the Environment in Namibia

Publisher:
Namibia Chamber of Environment (NCE) and Venture Media
Issue:
2021
Pages:
16-19
Type:
Magazine
Item Type:
Book or Magazine Section
Language:
en