LEAF (Learning About Forests) is an innovative, international programme that aims to encourage learners and communities to take ownership of creating healthy surroundings by engaging with their local forests and planting indigenous trees.
Learners on the programme also plant food and fruit forests (vegetable gardens and fruit trees) as outdoor classrooms, to support existing structures in schools and communities.
The programme was launched at the Pretoria National Botanical Gardens with the introduction of the '#OurForestsAreOurFuture' campaign to a number of teachers, learners, local government representatives, nurseries, other NGOs, and the Gauteng Environmental Education Forum.
The campaign is a joint initiative of the WESSA LEAF programme and Johannesburg-based NGO School Forest Project, who will supply one hundred trees to the ten schools from Eersterus, Mamelodi, and Tshwane East participating in the LEAF programme in 2018. SANBI will provide all children from these schools with free access to the garden for the duration of the project.
Speaking at the event, special guest and 50/50 presenter Bertus Louw says, "Forty percent of South Africa’s forests have been destroyed. A programme like LEAF can make a big difference in rebuilding a biome that is crucial to our survival."
Bertus told learners stories of the different forests he has visited across the globe, where he has seen the role forests play: from providing individuals with basic furniture and creating outdoor shaded spaces to protecting individuals from natural phenomena such as tsunamis.
Participants at the launch had the opportunity to engage in several different activities in the indigenous forest of the Pretoria National Botanical Garden. These included a demonstration of the process of planting trees endemic to the Pretoria area from seeds; investigating quadrants of the forests to determine their biodiversity using technology, science, and maths; and taking a look through magnifying glasses at the special adaptations of leaves. At the medicinal plant section of the gardens, the teachers told the learners about the plants their parents used to cure certain ailments and aimed to highlight the important role plants still play in the medicinal field today.
WESSA LEAF programme manager Cindy-Lee Cloete adds, "Any school can register to participate in the LEAF programme. It, therefore, has the potential to reach 12.5 million learners and 125 000 teachers across South Africa."
Cloete says, "The programme is based on project-based learning, and the science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) approach to learning about forests. The programme aims to help learners, teachers, and communities identify practical solutions for local and global issues, enabling them to make decisions and take ownership and responsibility for their future. This is real learning today for the real world tomorrow."
Schools participating in the LEAF programme can select to explore a variety of LEAF themes and aspects based on the needs of their own school and community. Learners will have the opportunity to get involved in hands-on activities and forest excursions.
For more information, visit www.wessa.org.za. You can also follow WESSA on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.