BirdLife South Africa Wakkerstroom Tourism and Education Centre

The BirdLife South Africa Wakkerstroom Centre began her journey in 1999 with a donation to purchase land adjacent to the Wakkerstroom Wetland to create a multi-functional ecotourism and conservation centre. The aim was, and still is, to promote the conservation ofthe Grassland Biosphere Reserveas a whole, and on a more local level, work with the people of Wakkerstroom to add value to the area's already diverse natural heritage. One of themain functions is to attract visitors to Wakkerstroom, many of whom are birders. By activelypromoting birding and environmental education, the Centre injects income into all sectors of the local community. The Centre also serves as a hub for information about the region, the local 700 hectare wetland, local history, associated biodiversity and a base from which our education staff service the broader area. There are many collaborative projects that our staff work on with both government departments and local associations all for the conservation of this vitally important area. Our Centre was recognised in 2014 as the first Eco-Centre in Mpumalanga in the Eco-Schools Programme where we focussed on our community recycling project, our ever important education work with close on 11 000learners across 35 local schools and our partnership with the Working on Fire team. Our current initiative, supports three Junior Bird Clubs, meeting with each group on a weekly basis where the learners engage with various aspects of the wetland.