One of the great long-term benefits of African tourism is that so many operators now support education, trying to foster a new generation of people with a firm understanding of and interest in conserving our natural heritage.
For example, Elewana Collection’s Land and Life Foundation operates a Wildlife Warriors initiative, which runs conservation programmes in schools in East Africa, with the ultimate aim of sponsoring its top scholars to tertiary education. It is their hope that these young people will lead the nation forward, spreading the importance of wildlife conservation and tourism.
It struck us, though, that if this message is so important in remote areas of Africa, surely it is equally important to young people across the globe. After all, it is our shared responsibility to nurture nature, and one might argue that there is considerably greater pressure on the environment in the developed world.
In the Wildlife Warrior’s initiative, Land and Life promote five simple behaviours that we think should be emphasised to all of our children, regardless of where we live:
- Treasure all living things equally
From big elephants to tiny spiders, every creature plays a part in our all-encompassing ecosystem, and everything is important.
- Lead the scene and keep it clean
Cut down on waste generation and learn how to Reuse, Recycle, Reduce. Cut down on pollution; embrace a cleaner, leaner lifestyle; and clean up!
- Save water, save energy, save life
Reduce consumption of resources; don’t waste water; turn off taps; turn off light switches; use low energy bulbs… anything to use as little energy as possible.
- Remember, nature isn’t yours!
Sharing is caring, and this matters to the earth as well! Don’t use what you don’t need: don’t use up all the water when cleaning your teeth; don’t pick wildlife flowers just because they are pretty…
- Help others
Be a part of your community; help parents at home and help out at school; keep an eye on the bigger picture; don’t take a selfish approach to life.
For more information on Land and Life’s Wildlife Warrior’s programme, and to meet some of the children who have received scholarships through the scheme, click here.
