The Honorary Rangers of the Free State Region are thinking about the future.
They realise that if they want to continue to contribute meaningfully towards the conservation of our natural heritage, they need to focus their efforts on the youth of their region, and mentor the next generation of conservationists.
The region’s Honorary Rangers have identified a farm school which they plan to visit on a regular basis as part of their youth outreach efforts. These visits will be one of their primary means of teaching these children about the environment and exposing them to nature.
This project formally got under way on the 9 June 2006 when members of the local Nature Conservation group visited “The Willows” farm school to give a fun and informative lecture on how the delicate balance of ecosystems operate.
Teaching tools included old cans that were labelled to represent different aspects of the eco system. These were arranged as a pyramid to demonstrate the importance of each and every one of the various natural elements to the structure of the whole. If one can is taken away, the whole structure tumbles.
The children enjoyed the interactive learning session and more such visits, using simple and effect teaching methods to explain the importance of conserving biodiversity, are planned.