On the 22nd October 2025, a group of 20 learners from Umyezo Wama Apile Primary School in Grabouw, spent a day with Iimbovane at the Helderberg Nature Reserve as part of the prize fromthe Big Biodiversity Challenge Competition, an annual biodiversity competition that is organised by Western Cape Environmental Education Friends (WCEEF) for learners in grades 6–9, which commemorates International Day for Biological Diversity and aims to inspire young people to think critically about biodiversity issues in their communities and promote practical and innovative solutions
Wendy Qumbelo, a Grade 7 learner from Umyezo Wama Apile Primary School, was among the winners due to her essay on ‘Invasive plants and their impact on indigenous plants, water and fire hazards’. She also went further to raise awareness in her community, where she and her peers conducted a clearing. She was then awarded the opportunity to bring along her classmates to learn more about biodiversity beyond textbooks.
The day began with a short hike and scavenger hunt to find terminology related to ecology at the reserve; the learners also had to find examples in nature that matched their clues.
Next they went on a tour of the Nature Reserves Eco Centre to learn about, the repurposing non-recyclable materials and the sustainable thinking behind eco buildings, most learners were intrigued to see that that truck tires and Eco bricks were used to make the building After the tour learners worked in groups to look at various micro climates at the Nature Reserve, to discover the connection between plants and their immediate environment, by investigating growth forms, temperature and the various adaptations
For the last activity of the day the learners were introduced to ‘biomimicry’ and examples of how we can copy nature in order to reduce our carbon footprints, thereafter they had a creative session where they made their own biomimicry inventions come to life.
Mr Sithile Nontyida, from CapeNature, who mentored Wendy on her award-winning project commented: “It was a memorable for all the learners as it was their ever first time going out to explore nature and Stellenbosch University filled them with joy, and the programs were exciting from the beginning until the end.”