Funding to see nature reserve’s appeal grow
UMBOGOVANGO Resource Centre is to become an even better place for pupils to broaden their knowledge due to recent funding.
AECI Corporate Social Investment (CSI) has donated money in order to further develop the resource centre and help more pupils become exposed to nature, birds and alien vegetation. The funding from AECI will run over the next three years.
On Friday, 21 February, AECI CSI and community manager, Maria Kurian visited Umbogovango Nature Reserve while pupils fromKwathambo Primary School in KwaMakhutha were at on a school excursion.
The funding given to Umbogovango Resource Centre forms part of AECI’s strategy. “From a development perspective, a project like this is great. The earlier you can spread information the better. AECI also gets to take care of a community where staff live,” said Kurian. About 50 school groups throughout the past school year visited the reserve, where they learnt about topics such as protecting wetlands, clearing alien vegetation and conserving indigenous bird life that exists within the Reserve.
For the past three years the Wildlife and Environmental Society of South Africa (Wessa) has been speardheading a rural outreach programme to schools. The Eco-Schools programme has been running in the area close to 10 years. Umbogovango now wants to extend the Eco-Schools programme to rural schools.
Chris Skinner, chairman of the Upper South Coast branch of Wessa who will help role out the Eco-Schools programme education wants to grow the programme further. “We hope to grow the eco-schools from three to seven schools participating in the programme, as well as making Umbogovango an environmental centre for the community,” said Chris.
An itern from the Department of Nature Conservation at the Mangosuthu University, Zanele Gumede will run the centre for a year, making contact with schools to arrange visits, do nature walks and conduct classes. This will form part of her research for her diploma. “I’m going to get a lot of experience and I hope to see more schools added to the programme,” said Zanele.
It is hoped the reserve will become a flagship for the national eco-schools programme on the South Coast, a research centre for students from colleges and universities in Durban as well as a hub for local environmental groups to meet and plan activities
