AWARENESS OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IN MUDUMU SOUTH COMPLEX, NAMIBIA

This book entails more young people's perceptions and awareness of the values that nature offers directly and indirectly to both humankind and the surrounding environment. Based on the four major ecosystem services, learners within and outside conserved areas were assessed because they are the future generations of the country (Namibia); therefore, their awareness of the values of wildlife is critical in determining if they will follow in the footsteps of the current generation in conserving natural resources (wildlife) and cannot be overemphasized. With the aid of questionnaires, results indicated that learners within conservancies are aware of the values of wildlife (ecosystem services) compared to those outside conserved areas. However, they are highly aware of tangible benefits (provisional services). In addition, gender, age, and level of education do not influence learners' awareness of the concept of wildlife and the values generated, with a positive correlation between the level of awareness and level of education, i.e., awareness increased with the level of education. Increased support for environmental education among youth can be beneficial to wildlife conservation.