Educating the Next Generation
Kids Conservation Education Camps are one of the longest-standing projects at Great Plains Foundation, educating the school children in the surrounding rural communities on all things wildlife and conservation. We have just held our latest Kids Conservation Education Camp in December, welcoming 50 primary school kids from rural communities in Botswana to Selinda Explorers Camp for a 4 day camp bursting with inspiring lessons in conservation.
This year the students enjoyed a mixture of game-drive education with our knowledgeable Great Plains safari guides with interactive lessons in camp. Our Great Plains Female Rangers held a class on what it takes to become a Wildlife Ranger protecting the natural resources in Botswana for generations to come.
Eco-exist, a partner organisation focussing on Elephant Conservation and Human Wildlife Coexistence shared their knowledge on identifying an elephant and how to keep safe when in the presence of one. The communities the students had come from are on the fringe of wildlife areas and also elephant corridors where human wildlife conflict is common.
Female Rangers showcasing to the young girls that being a ranger is not just a male career option in conservation
The students enjoyed game drives around the Selinda Concession to see the natural environment and ecosystem that Great Plains are conserving and the species, family structures and behaviours from lion to elephant, and everything in between. Back at camp the students were shown a large scale model of the Okavango Delta water system and educated on its importance and value to Botswana.
Other lessons included looking after our environment ‘at home’ through waste management with how to keep communities clean of litter.
