In 2026, the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) celebrates an extraordinary milestone: 100 years of environmental action, education, and conservation.

For the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), WESSA’s centenary is also an opportunity to celebrate a relationship that helped shape our own history and the global network we are today.

From FEEE to FEE

When WESSA joined our network in 2001, it became FEE’s first member organisation outside Europe.

Until then, our organisation was known as the Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe (FEEE). WESSA’s arrival represented an important new chapter. That same year, FEEE went global and became the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).

What began as a European network was becoming something much bigger.

Twenty-five years later, WESSA remains an important part of FEE’s international community, bringing environmental education and sustainable development programmes to schools, young people, communities, coastlines, and tourism establishments across South Africa.

Growing FEE Programmes Across South Africa

Today, WESSA operates five FEE programmes in South Africa: Eco-Schools, Learning About Ecosystems and Forests (LEAF), Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE), Blue Flag, and Green Key.

Cape Town, 2018 - Amphibious wheelchairs in Blue Flag beach

Blue Flag has been operating in South Africa since 2001, with WESSA working alongside coastal municipalities and tourism operators to support sustainable coastal management, environmental education, water quality, safety, and accessibility. As of May 2026, there are 62 Blue Flag sites in South Africa: 50 beaches, 5 marinas, and 7 tourism boats. Find more information about the most recent Blue Flag awards in South Africa here.

South African learners enjoying the indigenous garden at their Eco-School

In 2003, Eco-Schools was introduced in South Africa. Since then, more than 4,500 schools across all nine provinces have participated, reaching over 1.2 million learners and 45,500 teachers.

WESSA has also expanded opportunities for environmental learning through LEAF, connecting learners with their local ecosystems and the relationship between people and nature. Today, 10 LEAF communities participate in the programme across South Africa.

Through YRE, 3000 young South Africans have been trained and given a platform to investigate environmental issues and tell the stories of their communities through journalism, photography, video, and other forms of environmental reporting. In the YRE International Competition 2024-2025 edition, Alexandra de Roo, a South Africa Young Reporter, won first place in the One Take Photo Category.

Green Key site in South Africa, Protea Hotel by Marriott Cape Town Sea Point (September, 2026).
More information here

In 2015, WESSA added another FEE programme to its portfolio with the launch of Green Key in South Africa, extending its work in sustainable tourism from the coastline into hotels and other tourism establishments. Today, 20 establishments hold the certification in South Africa.

Together, these programmes have allowed WESSA and FEE to reach people in very different spaces, from classrooms and forests to beaches, communities, and tourism establishments.

Bringing the FEE Network to South Africa

WESSA’s contribution to FEE has never been limited to implementing programmes.

Johannesburg, 2016 - Eco-Schools National Operators’ Meeting

Over the years, South Africa has also welcomed colleagues from across the international FEE network for National Operators’ Meetings (NOMs), creating opportunities to exchange ideas, visit programme sites, learn from WESSA’s work, and strengthen connections across countries.

In 2016, Johannesburg hosted the Eco-Schools National Operators’ Meeting, bringing representatives from the international Eco-Schools network to South Africa during WESSA’s 90th anniversary year.

These gatherings are an important part of FEE’s history with WESSA: not only bringing FEE programmes to South Africa, but bringing our global network to South Africa to learn, exchange, and connect.

A Century of Action, and 25 Years Together

WESSA’s story stretches far beyond its work with FEE.

Over the past century, the organisation has worked across conservation, environmental education, citizen action, advocacy, youth engagement, sustainable tourism, and the protection of South Africa’s natural heritage.

But for FEE, this anniversary carries a particularly special meaning.

In 2001, welcoming our first member organisation from outside Europe was a sign of what our network could become. Today, FEE works through member organisations around the world, adapting international programmes to different national and local contexts while connecting people through a shared commitment to environmental education and sustainability.

WESSA has now been part of that journey for 25 years.

As WESSA celebrates its first century, we celebrate not only everything the organisation has achieved in South Africa, but also its contribution to the history and evolution of FEE itself.

From everyone across the FEE network, congratulations to WESSA on 100 years. Here’s to the next chapter.