This study explored how local environmental knowledge was integrated into the
curriculum of a secondary school in the Okavango Delta of Botswana. Environmental
education is important in engaging the public on resource management and developing a
sense of place. The 1994 Revised National Policy on Education recommended the
integration of environmental education into the school curriculum in Botswana. However,
studies suggested that the integration of environmental education faces challenges. The
studies that were conducted on environmental education failed to engage community
people, whose experiences can be valuable. This study, which draws on place-based
education, is bounded by the Okavango Delta and the school second-term. The study
addressed these questions: what are the key elements of local environmental knowledge
in the study area; to what extent is the local environmental knowledge present in the
curriculum; how do teachers implement environmental education; and how do
educational authorities perceive environmental education? This study employed
qualitative research techniques to address these questions including document analysis,
observations and semi-structured interviews. This study’s findings revealed the
following. Local people have a lived experience with nature. The elements of local
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environmental knowledge include crop and livestock farming, which are a cultural
activity that is lived by community people. They cultivate a variety of crops, which
continue to be destroyed by wild animals. The contents of environmental education that
were integrated into the curriculum by teachers are based on the local environment. The
implementation of environmental education was carried out using guided discovery
learning strategies. Educational authorities believed local environmental knowledge
could play an important role in environmental education. They advised teachers should
invite local people who have historical experiences with environmental resources.
Effective School-Community partnerships are pivotal to improve the integration of
environmental education. The results of this study hold important implications for the
Ministry of Education and Skills Development in Botswana, Teachers at the schools,
Partnership initiatives for local schools and Non-Governmental Organizations and the
village authorities where schools are situated.