MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Learners in the Isalathiso Primary School Eco Club had a memorable time on Saturday, 8 June, when they did a beach clean-up and learned about preserving the marine environment.
The learners benefitted from the knowledge of Sibaphiwe (Siba) Tentu, the senior environmental officer at the Mossel Bay Municipality; Craig and Mandy Viljoen from Incident Working Group Africa; the Bartolomeu Dias Museum's Arno Munro who works for the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE); and the Shark Research team headed by Nico Booyens.
They all came together to educate, interact with, and inspire the learners in the Eco Club.
Booyens said: "The day was a great success. The learners started it with a beach clean-up, focusing on microplastics. They then received an in-depth presentation about ocean pollution and marine life conservation from Arno at the Dias Museum."
"Following the presentation, the students toured the museum and the shell museum, learning about the history of Mossel Bay and its marine life." The highlight of the day was a practical exercise led by Viljoen, where the learners managed different areas in a simulated oil spill scenario and decontamination exercise. According to Booyens the learners loved this hands-on experience.
The day they concluded with a traditional braai on the beach. "We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone involved. This is how we make a change: by starting with the youth, our future conservationists," says Booyens.
‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’
