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February
2010
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Feature |
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Sustainable Living Education in the Namib DesertBen Burghart
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 © NaDEET |
Much of the primary and secondary school science education conducted in Africa today consists of rote learning. It is often disconnected from the lives of students, and additionally lacks any themes centred on conservation and the protection of the natural environment. In Namibia, this old way of learning is changing.
Since 2003, the Namib Desert Environmental Education Trust (NaDEET) has operated an environmental education centre in the Namib Desert (on the NamibRand Nature Reserve). As a non-profit trust depending on the generosity of private and local company donations and local and international grants, NaDEET has been able to invite thousands of Namibian school children to its Centre, regardless of their background or ability to pay.
During the weeklong environmental education programme, visiting students not only learn about basic scientific inquiry and desert flora and fauna, but also how they can live in a way that does not negatively impact the unique environment of Namibia. NaDEET is leading the way in both science and sustainability education in southern Africa. Their premise is that not learning how to care for the environment may one day make learning about the environment impossible.
NaDEET’s pedagogy rests on a simple, live-it-for-yourself method. Its formal classroom lessons are strongly supported by informal experiences outside, amongst the sand dunes of this planet’s oldest desert.
One of NaDEET’s aims is to change unsustainable living habits in Namibia. Wood-burning cooking fires, litter, and lack of water threaten the future of people and the natural environment they depend on to survive. If we want to reverse these trends – deforestation, climate change, pollution, to name a few – then shouldn’t environmental education show learners alternative ways of survival? Even better, have them practice these things themselves?
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© NaDEET |
This is NaDEET’s philosophy in action: children at the centre experience on their own the easy mechanics of solar cookers and ovens, powered by the sun’s free energy; reducing, reusing, and recycling the rubbish they create while visiting; and recording their daily water use, to actually see how much water they use, and testing different water-saving methods.
Another part of NaDEET’s teaching method rests on the design principles of biomimicry: look to nature to find sustainable adaptations to modern human life. For many of the children at NaDEET Centre, this is their first time in the wild desert.
When NaDEET educators lead them on interpretative dune walks and help them set small mammal catch and release traps, they are asked to look at the ways particular species adapt to desert life.
The hardships in the desert reflect many of the problems Namibia faces today, namely, lack of food, water, and resources for shelter. How does the Tok Tokkie beetle’s inability to fly help it recycle water? How does an Oryx use thermoregulation to withstand the scorching desert temperatures? How does seemingly dried out detritus spark vibrant biodiversity in the Namib Desert?
By the end of these discussions, children understand the bottom line of nature: survival by creative adaptation. NaDEET asks them to consider humanity’s role in ensuring the survival of the planet. This consideration, supported by hands-on sustainable living activities, sparks a smarter and more responsible group of young Namibians. When they return home, these children have the knowledge and tools to adapt to a more sustainable lifestyle in their own strained environment.
 © NaDEET |
The future of science and science education in Namibia rests on the strength of only a few institutions, which admit a small fraction of the population, and usually only those privileged enough to obtain a tertiary degree. Therefore, despite its grassroots profile, NaDEET plays a crucial role in fostering the next generation of Namibian scientists. Rarely are Namibian children from poor communities exposed to field biology, or encouraged to pursue a career in science.
In light of the fact that Namibia hosts some of this planet’s most unique ecosystems (Namib Desert, Kalahari Desert, Succulent Karoo), shouldn’t the scientific community cultivate a strong group of Namibian scientists, to study and protect the natural environment of their home communities?
Integral to its environmental education programme, NaDEET promotes basic skills needed for science, such as curiosity, experimental testing, collaborative research, and scientific measurement and presentation. As NaDEET looks ahead to the coming years, it plans on hosting additional groups of adult community members from around Namibia, in the effort to bring scientific knowledge and sustainable living practices to disadvantaged adults, especially women.
* Ben Burghart is a NaDEET volunteer
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More information:
NaDEET welcomes questions and comments from the public. Feel free to send an
email to admin@nadeet.org and read up-to-date news and download educational
materials at www.nadeet.org. Consider your impact on the environment, and do
your part by changing to a more sustainable lifestyle.
Copyright Science in Africa, Science magazine for Africa CC. All Rights Reserved
