20 Jul 2018

 In a bid to enhance environmental conservation education, Maun based association, Future Explorers Youth Society (FEYS) has produced two books titled The Plants around us and The Birds around us.

The plants around us, was published in 2018, while The birds around us was published last year. Both books carry information on plants and birds found in the area.

In an interview with BOPA, FEYS chairperson, James Pitseyagae said both books were aimed at encouraging people to love nature and promote environmental conservation.

He said they produced the books through assistance from their German partner Kynphausen Foundation with whom they collaborated on a project dubbed: Junior range programme, which taught children and young people about specific environmental protection topics in educational units both at schools and in nearby wildlife parks.

Both books, he said, aimed to equip school going children with information and knowledge about their surroundings especially the indigenous plants and birds in Ngamiland region.

Mr Pitseyagae said the books combined education with fun, as they carried information on how children could know the plants and birds around them, their special names, their existence and traditional use and how they could ensure their conservation.

“Through these books, we are trying to catch them young and build future professional nature guides, who will drive environmental conservation issues. We want them to be able to interpret the plants and birds’ evolution, their origins and their current state,” he added.

He said the books could also be read by all categories as they helped intensify education on environmental conservation issues.

Mr Pitseyagae said they produced the books because they realised that more focus was on wildlife species, especially the big five, while plants, birds and insects were overlooked and yet they formed part of the environment.

Most tourists visiting the Okavango Delta, he said, loved to watch birds and plants, but some local guides lacked information and knowledge on the origins, while on the other hand, some plants and birds species were destroyed because people did not understand their importance.

Mr Pitseyagae hoped that the books would assist to address such challenges and promote conservation amongst the communities.

He said they had distributed 15 000 copies to schools across the country, while few copies were donated to Maun library, Botswana Scouts Association, Botswana Book Project in Gaborone among others, while some copies were found at FEYS library in Maun.

He acknowledged all who contributed towards the achievement of the project, citing Alison and Roger Heath who volunteered to assist with the general content of the books, as they conducted research and analysis of the plants.

Meanwhile, he also stated that they had managed to secure 300 binoculars to use during their annual boot camps to watch birds, courtesy of Kynphausen Foundation.

Mr Pitseyagae urged students from Maun schools to fully utilise the FEYS library situated at Boyei ward, which opened doors in 2018.

He said the library was underutilised and yet it was equipped with resources such as general books, computers and free WIFI.

He also appealed to parents to encourage their children to visit the library to enhance their studies. ENDS