Cape Town: Youth led wetlands education at Rondevlei Nature Reserve. The 2026 Junior River Warden programme by the City of Cape Town was commenced, after a successful round of recruitments for this year.
Reportedly, 48 Junior River Wardens attended their first engagement this past Saturday, February 14, 2026 at the Rondevlei Nature Reserve of the City of Cape Town for an environmental education initiative hosted by Nature Connect Conservation Leaders Programme. The Junior River Wardens group consists of Grade-5 and 6 learners from Red River Primary School; Ysterplaat Primary School and Floreat Primary School, all schools within communities located near vleis, rivers and nature reserves.
Deputy Mayor and Member of the Mayoral Committee for Spatial Planning and Environment – Alderman Eddie Andrews said that these young learners demonstrated their love for nature with their enthusiastic participation at the environmental education initiative, which was hosted at the Rondevlei Nature Reserve.
Their eagerness for knowledge and to take responsibility for the active role that they can play as individuals in their communities is very encouraging. Through promoting creativity, leadership and experiential learning amongst this group the Deputy Mayor believes that they will build a foundation for long-term environmental stewardship within their communities.
Over 80 young students gathered at Rondevlei Nature Reserve to celebrate their love for nature. The event was the first engagement for the 2026 Junior River Wardens (JRW) and was led by members of the Nature Connect Conservation Leaders Programme (CLP), with added support from the City’s River Warden Programme.
The Junior River Wardens Programme is a collaborative environmental education initiative of the City of Cape Town and Nature Connect. The programme was established to empower Grade-5 and Grade-6 learners with foundational knowledge of rivers, wetlands and freshwater ecosystems, while cultivating environmental stewardship within communities located near vleis, rivers and nature reserves. Fifteen learners were selected from each school.
Through structured learning, practical outdoor engagement and creative participation, the programme connects the classroom curriculum with real-world conservation. Learners developed ecological literacy while building skills such as teamwork, leadership, accountability and problem-solving.
This initiative also forms part of a broader youth conservation pathway, enabling progression into advanced programmes such as the Nature Connect Conservation Leaders Programme in Grade-7 and beyond. The three-hour session at Rondevlei Nature Reserve focused on wetlands and estuarine ecosystems.
Interactive activities included the “Web of Life” simulation; demonstrating ecosystem interdependence and the cascading impacts of species loss. Learners also participated in a guided nature walk to the reserve’s bird hides and concluded the session by constructing model wetlands to illustrate ecosystem structure, threats and restoration concepts. Further, the Junior River Wardens Programme will continue throughout 2026 with structured engagements.