UNESCO acknowledges NABU’s Youth Manual that is implemented in the Kafa Biosphere Reserve

August 2015 - The Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) is very proud about the recognition of its Youth Manual by the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme, which is being implemented in the Kafa Biosphere Reserve.

Environmental education and awareness creation have been identified as key areas in working towards sustainable development, notably Agenda 21. Therefore, NABU is running an Enjoy Biodiversity Campaign, which gears towards youngsters to learn about nature as well as value and protect local biodiversity. In order to implement the awareness creation on forest conservation, biodiversity and climate change, a Youth Manual was developed in 2013, which aims to pass on information about the Kafa Biosphere Reserve and its natural environment. At the same time tools and methods to share this knowledge with other members of the community are provided to encourage them to get active for conservation.

Within the Enjoy Biodiversity Campaign, NABU organizes 20 youth camps in the wild, each lasting at least two days, where young people will be able to learn from elders and spiritual leaders in order to become active campaigners for biodiversity themselves.

Moreover, 150 selected youngsters will then be trained as Kafa Biodiversity Campaigners to support a general communication campaign in the communities of the Kafa Biosphere Reserve. Communication, discussions and mutual conflict-resolution are important parts of Ethiopian social life, especially in the rural areas. People often make use of the traditional coffee ceremony, which takes place 2-3 times daily, to exchange and discuss news. The project therefore offers discussion sessions during 1,200 of these coffee ceremonies.

Parallel to this, a biodiversity module will be developed and tested with pupils and teachers of selected pilot schools in order to anchor the matter of biodiversity and climate change in the school curriculum. Four workshops with 50 pupils and teachers will take place. Finally, the module will be kicked off with an official event at the selected pilot schools.

NABU’s Youth Manual can be downloaded here.