Rafiki wa faru: The George Adamson Wildlife Preservation Trust's Enviromnental Education programme

 

Mkomazi Game Reserve is due to be gazetted as a fully protected National Park in 2007. In parallel with this development, Tony Fitzjohn of GAWPT is hoping to launch an Environmental Education (EE) programme which will be rolled out to local schools and communities in the area. MGR is surrounded by 41 villages in three districts and two administrative regions, and some community development activities have in the past been carried out; although the new pilot programme is to be more structured and therefore more beneficial to local communities. The new EE programme will aim to link local children with conservation, by raising awareness amongst schoolchildren to secure long-term sustainability of MGR and its conservation efforts.

A similar programme, delivered by the Laikipia Wildlife Forum (LWF) in Kenya, has been supported by Save the Rhino since its launch and in November 2003 the 1989 Willian Charitable Trust awarded us a grant of £3,000 toward the project in Laikipia. GAWPT’s EE programme is based on the one in Laikipia, as the model has proven to be highly successful. It is anticipated that the EE programme will be launched when gazetting takes place, to demonstrate GAWPT’s commitment towards a public-private partnership between the Trust and the Tanzanian Wildlife Division.

Project aims

The overall aims of the Environmental Education programme (EE) are to:

1) Link local schoolchildren with conservation
Raise awareness amongst school children to secure long-term sustainability of MGR and its conservation efforts
Encourage active involvement through environmental education initiatives, so that the next generation of Tanzanians will work for the sustained conservation of the Tsavo ecosystem
Increase the number of children that experience wildlife in safe circumstances, especially as the great majority of Tanzanian children have never seen wildlife in their natural environment, despite living in a country with rich wildlife resources and an economy supported by wildlife tourism

2) Change local communities’ attitudes towards wildlife and habitat conservation
Alleviate human-wildlife conflict as population growth continues to put pressure on protected areas and contact between humans and wildlife is frequent. In this area there is a real need to make local communities understand the importance and benefits of Reserves / National Parks
Begin to educate people about the opportunities offered by increased eco-tourism and sustainable use of natural resources

3) Reduce wildlife crime
Alleviate problem with cattle barons and commercial poachers, and ensure that the next generation will not follow in their footsteps
Develop an informer network

Project objectives

To reach the overall aims of the project, it is anticipated that the overall project objectives will be to:

1) Develop and implement an educational curriculum linked to conservation and presenting this to schools / villages throughout the area by:
Recruiting an EE Officer
Purchasing and operating an EE bus
Facilitating school and community trips into MGR to see wildlife and habitat conservation in action
Visiting schools / villages / community groups around MGR to deliver the wider EE programme

2) Develop and implement an annual work plan with activities and identifying what schools / villages / groups will be targeted in year one by:
Developing and disseminating comprehensive educational materials covering a wide range of topics and issues related to the environment (linking in with the rhino, African wild dog and habitat preservation work undertaken by GAWPT at MGR).
Developing and disseminating comprehensive education aids, such as visual aids and participatory learning tools
Developing and delivering events and competitions to enforce and strengthen the programme as well as for data collection purposes
Offering training and support for teachers and developing good relationships with teachers
Linking the EE programme to the newly protected National Park status of MGR
Working closely with local and national Government’s Education Officer to link the EE programme with activities on a local and national scale
Linking conservation education into the National Curriculum
Developing and maintaining working relationships with the EE programme at Laikipia Wildlife Forum in Kenya
Identifying means of spreading the message to a wider audience, by children and teachers that have benefited from the EE programme passing on what they have learned
Expanding on the community conservation activities in areas that GAWPT has previously already worked in
Training the EEO and other staff (with input from Laikipia Wildife Forum and Chester Zoo)