Company Name: Conservation Academy Telephone: Fax: Cell Phone: Email: infoconservationacademy.co.za Website:
Course Title: Conservation and Wildlife Management
What is it about?
* Conservation and wildlife management skills
* Exposure to a unique and diverse ecosystem (including its cultural heritage)
* Preparation for a career as a scientist, conservationist, wildlife manager, or nature guide/ranger
There is a strong emphasis on field work to learn about and enjoy the natural history of the region. Various wildlife management and conservation skills are taught in the classroom, and followed up with appropriate field exercises.
Where? Mostly on the Esingeni Nature Reserve, with visits to neighbouring reserves (see the map and directions page).
How long? Two months (excluding the last weekend of the second month). It starts on a Monday morning and ends on a Friday afternoon.
And the cost? South African citizens pay R16,860 per person. International visitors pay £1,850 per person. The fee includes all meals, reserve entrance fees, transport, tuition and course materials. However, it excludes weekend activities and transport. FGASA membership and associated costs are also excluded.
Who should attend? You need to be aged 18 years and above.
What should I bring? See kit list below
What will the course cover? Esingeni is a wilderness camp that is ideal for learning about conservation and wildlife management. You will help to manage the reserve by counting animals, removing snares, doing fence maintenance, clearing alien plants, and conducting vegetation surveys. Through regular nature walks on the reserve, you will get to know the large mammals, plants, reptiles, and birds, and learn the history of the region. All of this will equip you to play an effective role in local wildlife management and conservation. And you will be able to use the knowledge and skills you gain here in Africa anywhere in the world.
What, specifically, will I learn?
* African cultures and the conservation history of South Africa
* South African climate and geology
* Identification, evolution, and ecology of plants, mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, and amphibians
* Mammal behaviour and social organization
* The art of wildlife tracking, dung and sign identification and interpretation
* Basic ecology: interactions and interrelationships in nature using local field examples
* Nature guiding principles, including a code of conduct and ethics
* Camping and wilderness trails
* Bush survival skills, basic mapping and orientation (including astronomy), safety and health in the bush
* Go fishing to learn about fish morphology, ecology (aquatic food chains), and fisheries management
* A coastal excursion to study marine and inter-tidal ecology
* Wildlife research, data collection, and scientific methodology
* Game reserve establishment and maintenance (economics, fencing and patrols, wildlife diseases, fire fighting, etc)
* Alien plant control and management, soil erosion control and management
* Hunting (optional): take part in hunting an animal, and skinning and dissecting it to study ruminant anatomy and physiology (mostly in the winter months, and subject to availability)
* A guided tour of a taxidermy industry
* The Cape floral kingdom and biomes of South Africa, including plant biogeography, diversity, and endemism
* Fire ecology in rangelands and practical application (possibly with practical experience during the fire season)
* Nature drives to a National Park and various private ‘big five’ game reserves
* A visit to the Born Free Big Cat Sanctuary in Shamwari Game Reserve
* A nocturnal wildlife drive or walk
* Ecotourism and lodge management on private game reserves
* Tools of the trade: vehicle care and maintenance, 4x4 driving, and firearm demonstration and care
* Wildlife census, stocking rates, and determining grazing capacity
* Vegetation surveys to monitor the impact of grazing
* Forest threats and conservation
* Game capture (mostly during the winter months, subject to availability)
What will a typical day look like?
You will study and work on weekdays. Weekends are off. The day usually starts at 08h30 and ends at about 17h00. The work can be physically demanding at times, with daily walks and an overnight trail, so you need to be fairly fit and healthy.
A typical day might look like this:
* 07h15 – Breakfast
* 08h00 – Briefing for day’s scheduled activities
* 08h30 – 11h00 – Nature walk with binoculars and field guides
* 11h30 – 12h30 – Lecture on alien plant control and impacts, including safety and the use of equipment
* 12h30 – 13h30 – Lunch in camp
* 13h30 – 16h30 – Leave camp to cut alien trees, clear up
* 16h30 – Start trip home, spotting game and checking the recovery of alien plants on cleared sites
* 17h00 – Return to camp, discuss the day’s activities and review what was learnt, and be briefed on the next day’s schedule
* 18h30 – Supper; then you can play board games, study, relax, or go to bed
As part of your wildlife management training, work on the reserve will often involve developing trails, counting game, fixing fence holes, removing snares, chopping out alien trees, or soil erosion control.
Less strenuous tasks may include collecting flowering plants for the species list, calculating wildlife stocking densities, or monitoring habitat conditions by means of a grass survey.
As part of your nature guide training, you may be asked to work with tourists or school groups visiting Esingeni camp by taking part in the environmental training or setting up camp.
Apart from these general points, it is hard to describe a ‘typical’ day! There is a wide range of activities, so the schedule is rarely the same from course to course. However, the core course topics are covered on each eight-week course, and you will go on nature walks at least three days a week.
There are at least three one-hour lectures a week, following by field exercises (such as observation or data collection). Other activities could include game capture, a guest lecture, fire fighting, or a visit to the Albany Natural History Museum in Grahamstown. Our flexible schedule allows us to go on field trips at a moment’s notice – for example, when something exciting is happening, or when we need to avoid bad weather.
Please note that the course content and schedule will vary, and is often dependent on the weather. But we try to avoid major changes in the schedule, and these are always discussed with you beforehand.
What qualifications could I obtain?
Certificates:
The Nature Site Guide (NQF2) or Field Guides Association of Southern Africa (FGASA) Level 1 course is a South African National qualification. The FGASA certificate is well worth having: it is the national standard for working as a nature guide or ‘ranger’ in the wildlife and tourism industries in South Africa.
In our eight-week course you only write the theory part of the NQF2/FGASA Level 1 course. We can also prepare you to be examined on the practical component of the course. To do this you would need to stay another month or longer (at extra cost) to get enough practical experience to pass the practical exam and so get the full qualification.
The cost of FGASA registration and membership, and of sitting the FGASA theory exam, is not included in the cost of the course. If you wish to take the exams, you will need to pay for them.
A first aid course through St John’s Ambulance costs approx. £50/R640 per person, and is only required if you do the NQF2/FGASA Level 1 practical exam or the full qualification.
Most people only manage to complete the theory part of FGASA Level 1 in an eight-week course. Please let us know before you arrive if you wish to do the FGASA theory exam, so that we can arrange membership before arrival.
Nature Guiding Level 1 (NQF)
This course runs together with the Conservation & Wildlife Management course and the content is very similar. However, in two months you can only complete the theory exam. So if you decide to do the full qualification, you will need at least another one month’s training in the field, to prepare you for the practical exam.
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