The Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA; previously known as the Wildlife Society of Southern Africa and still earlier as Wild Life Protection and Conservation Society) is a non-government environmental organization (NGO) of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, established in 1926, although its origins go back to the 1890s.

Relation to other conservation bodies

The organisation in 1926, largely through the efforts and support of

Sydney Skaife Sydney Harold Skaife ('Stacey') D.Sc. FRSSAf. (12 December 1889 – 6 November 1976) was an eminent South African entomologist and naturalist. His career and educational publications covered a wide field.Skaife, S. H., "A Naturalist Remembers", ...

in 1929, helped establish the Wild Life Protection and Conservation Society, which helped to establish the National Parks Board of South Africa, and led to the (official) proclamation of the

Kruger National Park Kruger National Park is a South African National Park and one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers an area of in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in northeastern South Africa, and extends from north to south and from ea ...

Activities

WESSA produces two magazines: * ''Environment – People and Conservation in Africa'' (which replaced ''African Wildlife'') * ''EnviroKids'', which started as an insert in ''African Wildlife'' in 1972 and became ''Toktokkie'' magazine in 1976, changing its name to ''EnviroKids'' in 1998. The intent is to promote environmental awareness in children. In addition, each region produces its own monthly or bi-monthly newsletter. WESSA participates in the activities of the international

Foundation for Environmental Education The Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation promoting sustainable development through environmental education. FEE is active through five programmes; Blue Flag, Eco-Schools, Young Reporters fo ...

(FEE) and has earned several of its

Blue Flag beach The Blue Flag is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) that a beach, marina, or sustainable boating tourism operator meets its standards. The Blue Flag is a trademark owned by FEE, which is a not-for-profit non-gov ...

certifications. It supports the international Eco-Schools programme of the FEE. The South African effort was launched in 2003.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wessa Nature conservation in South Africa Environmental organisations based in South Africa