Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa

Description

WESSA, the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa, is a non-government environmental organisation established in 1926, with origins going back to the 1890s.

It works to educate, advocate and act on environmental and social justice, climate action, biodiversity protection and pollution reduction in southern Africa. Its priorities are biodiversity and habitat integrity, climate action, and pollution reduction, pursued through education, training, advocacy and clean-up initiatives. It runs education centres, a schools programme, a coastal sustainable tourism programme and an academy offering training, and it supports members and volunteer branches and friends groups.

WESSA is a founder member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and a UNESCO partner supporting education for sustainable development in southern Africa. It is the South African operator for several programmes of the Foundation for Environmental Education, including Blue Flag beach certification and the Eco-Schools programme. It has historically produced magazines promoting environmental awareness, including one aimed at children.

The organisation operates from a head office at the uMngeni Valley Nature Reserve in Howick, KwaZulu-Natal, with further offices in Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town.