WESSA (the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa) is a South African environmental organisation which aims to initiate and support high impact environmental and conservation projects to promote public participation in caring for the Earth. WESSA is an NGO and for 90 years, it has proactively engaged with the challenges and opportunities presented by South Africa’s unique natural heritage and the social and economic systems that depend on it.
Contents
WESSA is driven by the critical focus areas which include the international eco-labels of Eco-Schools and Blue Flag, environmental education and training, the conservation of life-supporting biodiversity and water resources, climate change mitigation and adaptation, environmental governance, and the WESSA Rhino and Elephant initiatives.
Previously known as the Wildlife Society of Southern Africa and still earlier as Wild Life Protection and Conservation Society, WESSA was established in 1926, but its origins go back to the 1890s.
Relevance to establishment of other conservation bodies
The organisation in 1926 – largely through the efforts and support of Sydney Skaife materialising in 1929 in the establishment of the Wild Life Protection and Conservation Society – helped to establish the National Parks Board of South Africa, and the (official) proclamation of the Kruger National Park.[1]
Activities
Nationally WESSA produces two magazines:
Each Region produces its own monthly or bi-monthly newsletter.
WESSA participates in the activities of the international Foundation for Environmental Education and has earned several of its Blue Flag beach certifications.
WESSA supports the international Eco-Schools Programme of the Foundation for Environmental Education. The South African effort was launched in 2003.
WESSA is also an integral part of the international environmental community. WESSA is a founder member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), works with UNESCO towards strengthening their Global Action Programme for Sustainable Development, and have also implemented the SADC Regional Environmental Education Project (SADC-REEP) in southern Africa for over 20 years.