About EEASA

about EEASAEnvironmental Education Association of Southern Africa (EEASA) is a membership-based organisation guided by a constitution and governed by a voluntary elected Council. The Association was founded in September 1982 at Treverton, South Africa, as a result of interaction between educationalists and environmentalists. It is a multidisciplinary Association concerned with quality education processes that lead to changes of attitude and behaviour towards the environment. EEASA has always taken a broad view of the environment and environmental processes: these are socio-ecological, socio-political, socio-economic, and at the heart of it there is the need to protect the integrity and viability of the ecological systems. This broader view of environment resonates with the principles of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Ever since the UN declared the decade for ESD 2005 – 2015 environmental educators and practitioners in southern Africa have embraced ESD as it articulates issues they have grappled with since the formation of EEASA in 1982. Read more about our history.

EEASA Has Five Main Aims

eeasa-bullets act as a responsible body for consultation and coordination on matters of public and professional interest concerning environmental education and sustainability;
eeasa-bullets promote interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary studies of the environment;
eeasa-bullets promote, organise and sponsor activities and research in environmental education and sustainability;
eeasa-bullets disseminate information regarding environmental education and sustainability;
eeasa-bullets provide opportunities for the exchange of ideas and opinions on environmental education and sustainability in Southern Africa.

EEASA endeavours to achieve its aims by providing opportunities for the exchange of ideas and opinions environmental education, deepening the understanding of these ideas, and advocating for the southern African voice and scholarship. The opportunities are realised through its publications, the annual international conference workshops, as well as the activities of working groups in the sub-region.

There has always been a dual role between EEASA as a loose network of members, and EEASA as a more formal organisation developing projects, raising and managing money, and lobbying for environmental education. Where there has been a need for the latter EEASA council and membership have worked with others to initiate members, who support one another, debate amongst themselves, and are accountable to one another.

Collaboration and Governance

The governance of EEASA is administered through a founding constitution, which stipulates that the highest governing body of the Association is its Annual General Meeting. The day to day running is overseen by the elected council made up of an Honorary President, an Honorary Secretary, and Honorary treasurer, an appointed Editor and seven other members (articles 9, 10, 11, 12 of the constitution), supported by a voluntary or paid secretariat, as per constitution. Currently the secretariat is run on a voluntary basis.

The momentum, quality and value of EEASA have always been made possible and advanced by collaborative partnerships with key stakeholders in the sub-region and beyond. The Rhodes University Environment Learning Research Centre (ELRC) is proud to be the current host of the EEASA secretariat. Previously the secretariat was hosted by WESSA (The Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa).