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Although the South African version of Windows on the Wild draws upon the US materials,  many new locally developed materials are added.  The South African education context demands thorough and ongoing research, as well as collaboration with a number of role players in order to develop materials that are responsive to local needs and conditions.

What makes WOW (SA) different...

 Although the South African version of Windows on the Wild draws upon the US materials,  many new locally developed materials are added.  The South African education context demands thorough and ongoing research, as well as collaboration with a number of role players in order to develop materials that are responsive to local needs and conditions.

In the following diagram we show the issues that are shaping the context in which the local materials are being developed.  Each issue is further explained at the end of this section.

The development of curriculum materials for schools is coordinated by EEPUS (The Environmental Education Programme, University of Stellenbosch) .  This means that we follow processes of
development and research in collaboration with a number of stakeholders such as, Share Net, NEEP (the National Environmental Education Programme), the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) (US),
SA National Parks, students involved in pre-service programmes at the University of Stellenbosh, as well
as many teachers participating in WoW workshops where we introduce new materials and draw on their experience and ideas.  In addition, a WoW Advisory Committee, consisting of representatives of organisations and institutions with interests in environmental education, and the development and use of resources, will ensure that the materials can be used in a variety of southern African educational
situations.

The development of curriculum materials for schools is coordinated by EEPUS (The Environmental Education Programme, University of Stellenbosch) .  This means that we follow processes of development and research in collaboration with a number of stakeholders such as, Share Net, NEEP (the National Environmental Education Programme), the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) (US), SA National Parks, students involved in pre-service programmes at the University of Stellenbosh, as well as many teachers participating in WoW workshops where we introduce new materials and draw on their experience and ideas.  In addition, a WoW Advisory Committee, consisting of representatives of organisations and institutions with interests in environmental education, and the development and use of resources, will ensure that the materials can be used in a variety of southern African educational situations.

What is the focus of WOW (SA)?

You will notice that the concept sustainability is part of the South African title of Windows on the Wild.  This concept became increasingly popular as education focus, especially since 1991 when the principles of sustainable development were published in a booklet, Caring for the Earth, a joint publication of the IUCN, WWF and UNEP[*].

It is however quite a controversial concept, and there are many definitions for sustainability. One way of understanding the concept is as follows:

"An activity, or a system, is sustainable if it can persist"

However, although there are not many good examples of social systems or human activities that are sustainable in this sense, there is an abundance of good examples in nature.  Nature is a catalogue of systems that has evolved and persisted for millions of years because in the study of natural systems we can derive certain basic principles which govern these systems.  This results in dynamic equilibria among the different elements of the systems.  In this way, natural systems are self-sustaining, or sustainable.