The official opening of the new Lapalala Wilderness School (LWS) took place in the Waterberg on Saturday 26 November 2022. It has been said by many that this magnificent facility is the best environment education center in the whole of Africa, if not the world!
The mission of the LWS is a noble one: “to help our children and young adults discover the value of biodiversity in our natural world and our place within it, and to identify and nurture Africa’s future conservation champions”.
So far more than 150,000 children have passed through the facility since it was first opened in 1985. and the school has had a profound positive effect on so many lives.
The timing of the new school provides a great opportunity to introduce the commitment made by the UN General Assembly to declare 2021-2030 as the Decade of Ecosystem Restoration. This is a global rallying cry to halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems globally. The wide range of ecosystem services that sustain lives of all the people on the planet are facing an unprecedented level of threat from land transformation for agriculture and urban settlement. The challenge lies in raising awareness of how nations should achieve a balance between development for basic human needs and the continuing loss of biodiversity.
The new property adjoins the south-eastern boundary of the Lapalala Reserve and includes a magnificent section of the Lephalala River, with forests, spectacular cliffs, ravines and savannah. This ideal setting not only fulfills all the requirements for environmental educational programmes, but also offers potential for research projects by future African conservation champions.
The new facilities are breathtaking in their concept, design, and scale. Their development is a testament to the confidence of the Parker family and LWS’s Patron Clive Walker future of our country and its youth, and a commitment to instilling in these young people a culture of appreciation for the environment around them.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT LAPALALA WILDERNESS SCHOOL
P O Box 348,
Vaalwater, 0530,
South Africa
Tel: +27 82 887 3912
Email: lws@lwschool.org Website: www.lwschool.org
Copyright 2022 Waterberg Conservation