In July, the Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve team will be hosting a graduation, celebrating the seven graduates of the recently co-facilitated qualified guides’ course. Since January, the participants have done weekly pre-assignments aligned with the course syllabus, followed by an intensive in-person programme, and engaged themselves in firsthand lived experiences in the tourism industry and natural world. Covering areas in the Cape Winelands, Klein karoo, Garden Route and parts of the Eastern Cape.

COURSE INTRODUCTION

South Africa’s natural heritage is one of the most biologically diverse on Earth, from the rich marine ecosystems of the southern coastline to the globally unique Fynbos biome. These environments play a vital role in eco-tourism, conservation, and community livelihoods. Yet they are under increasing pressure, and the need for knowledgeable, responsible and community-rooted guides has never been greater.

Followed by two months of pre-course work, the combined Field Guides Association of Southern Africa (FGASA) Marine and Nature Guiding 26-day intensive course was designed to meet this need. Hosted within the inspiring landscapes of De Hoop Nature Reserve, a place where rolling dunes, pristine marine ecosystems, limestone fynbos, wetlands, whales, birds, and coastal history converge, this course immersed learners in one of the most ecologically rich training environments in South Africa. Academic learning became a lived experience.

Hike Vulture Colony Potberg

Marine Rocky Shores

In the Classroom

Mother Africa Exhibition

WHY THIS COURSE IS DIFFERENT

The programme went beyond simply training guides. It built up individuals, supports community development, and creates pathways to employment within conservation, eco-tourism, guiding, hospitality, and environmental education. Three of the graduates recently co-facilitated environmental and coastal education activities for youth in their community as part of Youth Month activities.

Hike Kylemore

MiniSASS

Marine Rocky Shores

Harold Porter Botanical Garden

THE GRADUATES LEAVE WITH

A deep connection to their natural environment, confidence and professionalism, knowledge that can uplift their communities, and skills that open real job opportunities.

CONCLUSION & TRAINING OUTCOME

By the end of course, each participant completed all FGASA requirements and gained meaningful exposure to four highly diverse ecosystems including Afromontane Forest, Fynbos, Renosterveld, and Marine.

The learners gained strong species identification skills, developed ecological understanding, and mastered the FGASA unit standards that define professional guiding practice.

Through guided walks, field practical’s, nightly learning sessions, and workbook integration, the students refined their interpretive abilities, strengthened their safety awareness, and built confidence in real guiding scenarios.

Since 2015, the Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve (CWBR) management team have implemented the Edulink project, in partnership with Athénée Action Humanitaire NGO. A long-standing initiative that supports education, cross-cultural learning through volunteer programmes, and community engagement through meaningful partnerships with local schools, mentors in communities, and organisations.

As part of project activities, a select group of students from Lycée Athénée de Luxembourg school visit South Africa once a year. These cultural exchange visits have allowed for the CWBR to create and build on two-week itineraries, that continue to evolve each year.

Following the success of the cultural exchange trips, the CWBR have been approached to host local and international university and college class students for 2–3-day visits. An itinerary is tailor-made to suit the needs of the class objectives and includes fieldwork, engaging with experts, and exposure to conservation and development projects. The programme also highlights community-led tourism initiatives, supporting small local enterprises and fostering sustainable economic participation.

Hosting these tailor-made excursions have become a unique opportunity to learn from and build towards biosphere reserve to biosphere reserve tourism incentives.

This year, in addition to the yearly school group visit from Luxembourg, the CWBR team hosted a group of 16 geography students and two teachers from the Dresden University of Technology, Germany. The group went on a hike alongside a Stellenbosch Geology Professor, who shared about the various rock formations in the unique Paarl Rock Nature Reserve. In addition, a geological journey visiting selected sites in the Cape Winelands facilitated by esteemed author and geologist Nick Norman. 

These cross-cultural engagements expose visitors to broader CWBR projects and partner initiatives. Allows for the opportunity to learn about South African cultures first hand and engaging in conversation with local communities. Gives exposure to different biomes within Western Cape, South Africa and visiting neighbouring Biosphere Reserves. Learning first-hand about the unique fauna and flora. In addition to visits to famous tourist destinations and adventure tourism activities in the region.

To immerse students in practical, real-world learning experiences that promote personal growth, global citizenship, and intercultural understanding.

Apiary Tourism

Students learning about MiniSASS

Students at Young Mother Support

Culinary Experience FRN Hospitality

The Cape Leopard Trust (CLT), a leading conservation organisation focused on protecting the Cape’s leopards and promoting healthy ecosystems through research, education, and community engagement, have completed a re-survey across ~2500 km2 of the Boland Mountain Complex (BMC), mimicking the original CLT survey design and making use of 90 paired camera trap stations spread.

The recent survey reflects the scale and collaboration required to conduct an extensive field project. Conservation partners contributed expertise and logistics, landowners opened their properties for access, accommodation partners offered support, and dedicated rangers and volunteers assisted with on-the-ground fieldwork.

Read more in their published blog post: Back to the Boland! Spotting Leopards and Highlighting Biodiversity

The CLT BMC survey area extends from Bainskloof in the north, continuing south through the Limietberg, Jonkershoek, Hottentots-Holland mountains and Groenlandberg, all the way to the Kogelberg coast. This range places the survey within both the Cape Winelands and Kogelberg Biosphere Reserves.

In October, the Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve team wrapped up the five-month introductory course in field and culture guiding, co-funded by Stellenbosch Municipality. The programme was designed to equip emerging guides with foundational knowledge of the region’s natural and cultural heritage, helping to build local capacity within Stellenbosch’s growing eco-tourism and community-led tourism sectors.

Stellenbosch, nestled within the globally renowned Cape Floristic Fynbos Kingdom, is a landscape of dramatic mountains, sweeping vistas, and a flourishing culinary and wine culture. In recent years, the region has seen a remarkable surge in tourism—particularly adventure and nature-based experiences. Every day, a growing number of tour operators can be seen on the road, responding to rising visitor demand for immersive, authentic, and community-led activities.

Against this backdrop of opportunity, the CWBR facilitated introductory course aimed to give participants a strong foundation they could use to pursue a guiding career or enrich their existing professions connected to tourism, culture, or environmental stewardship.

A Diverse Cohort Rooted in Their Communities

Participants were selected from across Stellenbosch’s vibrant communities, including Devon Valley, Kayamandi, Cloetesville, Idas Valley, Kylemore, and Lanquedoc. Their representation ensured a diversity of lived experiences—an essential ingredient in a programme centred on place-based storytelling, cultural authenticity, and environmental awareness.

At the outset, participants were encouraged to share their motivations for joining. This collaborative process enabled facilitators to co-design aspects of the course, tailoring content and experiences to individual needs and ambitions. What emerged was an interactive, learner-driven environment where curiosity, community pride, and personal growth shaped the learning journey.

Learning Through Place: Workshops, Field Trips, and Practical Skills

In total, 20 contact sessions took place during the programme. These consisted of:

• 10 workshops led by experienced guides, authors, and local practitioners

• 4 lectures delivered by academic experts from Stellenbosch University and the University of Cape Town, focusing on ecology, geology, and climate change

• 2 practical sessions providing hands-on exposure to guiding skills and environmental interpretation

• 2 outings, including extended field explorations across the broader Winelands and into coastal ecosystems

• 1 certified First Aid Level 1 course, equipping participants with essential safety and emergency response skills

• 1 culinary day including the Certificate of Completion ceremony and lunch.

Close to home, participants explored Stellenbosch Central, Jonkershoek, Franschhoek, Simonsberg, Khayamandi, Pniel, and Paarl—each offering different ecological, cultural, and historical layer to interpret.

Exploring Pniel

Jonkershoek Nature Reserve hike

Sharing the history of Khayamandi

Two excursions extended the learning beyond Stellenbosch. The first was a visit to the Iziko Natural History Museum in Cape Town, where participants engaged with exhibits that deepened their understanding of South Africa’s geological and biodiversity heritage. The second took the group to Betty’s Bay, forming part of a “Source to Sea Journey” following the Palmiet River above Grabouw to its mouth, before connecting with the Eerster River system back toward Stellenbosch. Along the way, participants engaged with the Environmental Education Department of the Harold Porter Botanical Gardens and met Field Guides at the Stony Point Coastal Reserve to learn about coastal ecology, conservation, and species protection.

Stoney Point Nature Reserve

First Screening in SA: The Last Dive

Iziko Natural History Museum

Guided by Experts, Inspired by Local Voices

The training was enriched through the involvement of seasoned field guides, environmental educators, academic researchers, authors of respected field guidebooks, and community-based entrepreneurs. Their combined expertise exposed participants to the scientific, cultural, and practical dimensions of guiding.

Local entrepreneurs shared their journeys of building community-focused tourism initiatives, offering valuable insight into collaborative development and sustainable business practices. Participants were encouraged to ask questions, engage in dialogue, and connect the teachings to their own communities—helping them gain confidence as emerging interpreters of their natural and cultural landscapes.

Geology with N Norman

e’Bosch Heritage Lecture by Dr. R Richards

Ecology with Imbovane

Cultivating Future Eco-Leaders

The programme concluded with seven candidates successfully completing the Skills Development Programme. With strengthened ecological knowledge, practical skills, and a deeper understanding of the region they call home, these individuals are now well positioned to contribute to a more inclusive, responsible, and environmentally conscious tourism landscape.

During the handing out of certificates, one participant expressed that he “wants to be a leader one day, and to be a leader, one needs to be a learner first.” 

As Stellenbosch continues to grow as a destination where nature, culture, and community intersect, initiatives like this not only build local capacity but also ensure that tourism development benefits—and is led by—the very communities that shape the region’s identity. With global recognition already shining on Stellenbosch’s community-driven tourism efforts, these new Eco Guides represent the next generation of storytellers and custodians of the natural world.

The graduates, representatives from Stellenbosch Municipality, and the CWBR

Earlier in the year, the Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve (CWBR) Education on the Move (STEAM-Y Mobile classroom) was one out of 120 nominations world-wide submitted for the 2025 UNESCO Japan Prize. In November, we were honoured to be mentioned as one of the top nine finalists showcasing outstanding work in advancing sustainability through education and community engagement.

Background

The UNESCO–Japan Prize on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), established in 2014 and funded by the Government of Japan, honors outstanding projects that use education as a tool to drive sustainable development. Each year, the Prize celebrates three innovative initiatives that demonstrate how learning can empower communities, strengthen resilience, and contribute to a more sustainable future.

About this years prize

The 2025 laureates reflect this mission through a wide range of educational contexts and approaches. Their work spans cultural heritage conservation, sustainable consumption, and youth-led environmental restoration—together showcasing the transformative power of education to reshape societies and build climate resilience.

This year’s laureates were selected from 120 nominations submitted by UNESCO Member States and organizations in official partnership with UNESCO. An independent international jury of five Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) experts reviewed all submissions and ultimately recognized the three winning initiatives for their excellence in advancing sustainability through education and community engagement.

These awardees exemplify how education can be a driving force for meaningful, lasting change and stand as global models for impactful ESD practices.

Check out the three winning contributions and our honourable mention: UNESCO awards outstanding education for sustainable development projects in Benin, Brazil and Panama

Learn more, watch the video about the three winners.

UNESCO YouTube channel: Laureates of the 2025 UNESCO-Japan Prize on Education for Sustainable Development

Photos below feature recent CWBR Education on the Move activities at local primary schools.

Focusing on the following Education on the Move topics: Water Conservation with Droppie the Water Mascot, Soil Ecology and Conservation, Fynbos, Fire, and Alien Invaders: Understanding Our Unique Ecosystem, Pollution and Waste Management: Protecting Our Land, Water, and Farms

Introduction to rivermonitoring: MiniSASS

Digitial Microscope: Exploring Soil Life

Introduction to biosphere reserves

Introduction to fauna and flora

UNESCO has unveiled its 2025–2026 Map of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, highlighting 784 biosphere reserves across 142 countries. These sites are globally recognized as living laboratories where people and nature work in harmony to tackle some of the planet’s most urgent challenges. Working together towards a sustainable future.

Understanding UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme

At the heart of this network lies UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme, launched in the 1970’s. Its goal is deeply rooted in a simple yet powerful vision: to improve the relationship between humans and their environments.

Through its World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR), MAB supports sites that fulfill three complementary functions:

1. Conservation – preserving biological and cultural diversity

2. Sustainable Development – supporting economic growth that respects people and the environment

3. Logistic Support – providing space for research, education, monitoring, and capacity building

Over the decades, biosphere reserves have grown into hubs of innovation, where local communities, scientists, governments, and the private sector collaborate to scale up nature-based solutions.

Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve was nominated in 2007 as part of the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve programme, and is one of five biosphere reserves in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Explore or download the 2025 - 2026 map: UNESCDOC Digital Library

Learn more about the UNESCO Man and Biosphere reserve Programme

Exploring further, read an article that we published in 2021 SHORT HISTORY OF THE UNESCO MAN AND THE BIOSPHERE PROGRAMME AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION IN SOUTH AFRICA

Youth on a hike in the core of Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve, forming part of the Boland Mountain range