Objectives

The strategic goals for South Africa id to mirror The Biomimicry Group’s global goals. While these goals are ambitious, they are founded on several years of success to date in other places. We are very excited about this work and the potential it has to contribute to the immense task we have ahead of us to address sustainability challenges. We believe biomimicry can play a key role in finding solutions.

Education & Training

Our goal is to implement biomimicry into relevant education and training curricula for schools, students (particularly in the fields of design, architecture, engineering, biology, business, field guiding) and professionals training (including the same fields as for students, as well as relevant government departments and research institutions). We also aim to implement relevant biomimicry content and informal education programs at zoos, aquariums and certain museums. The short-term objectives are to partner with key institutions and form networks with educators and professional institutions to pilot biomimicry education and training initiatives. Our long-term objectives are to enable biomimicry to be integrated into curriculum on a boader scale where feasible. We also aim to host a range of biomimicry workshops to suit a variety of audiences, to inspire and inform through public presentations and the media, as well as to support the growing biomimicry network in South Africa through local network meetings. We also connect our local networks with international biomimicry networks and aim to participate in the biomimicry conferences internationally.

Innovation

We aim to inspire and enable biomimicry innovation in South Africa and beyond, through the training we offer as well as through promoting & supporting design challenge projects. We also aim to enable meaningful biomimicry innovation in African organisations by leveraging local and international networks to undertake relevant biomimicry research and development. We also aim to leverage these networks to provide biomimicry consulting and training services to local companies and organisations to assist them in implementing biomimicry innovation.

Conservation & Sustainability

We are deeply committed to working towards creating conditions conducive to life through the work we do and through inspiring and enabling the designers of our world to use biomimicry as a way to redesign our world to be empowered by nature’s genius. Through our commitment to Innovation for Conservation and our passion for a thriving abundant world for all, we aim to use and share the empowering approach of biomimicry to assist individuals and organisations in their commitment to conservation and sustainability.

(Re)Connecting

The (re)connect aspect of biomimicry is about regaining the understanding and recognition that two “separate” identities (i.e., people and nature) are actually deeply intertwined. There is no “us” and “them.” We are nature. (Re)connecting is a practice and a mindset that explores this relationship between humans and the rest of nature. biomimicrySA aims to run a number of expedition workshops that integrate deep exploration of nature’s genius in place as part of the workshop. We also collaborate with and recommend nature-based eco-tourism opportunities here to encourage deeper reconnection experiences.