Blog

SADC Conservation: SAWC Strengthens European Partnerships

In June, Southern African Wildlife College’s CEO, Theresa Sowry, and Executive Manager Marketing, Fundraising and Media Relations, Jeanné Poultney, travelled to Europe for their annual partner and donor engagement visit, which coincided with the annual Friends of African Wildlife event in Zürich. The trip provided an invaluable opportunity to strengthen long-standing relationships, explore new collaborations, […]

The Bateleur – June 2026

INSTITUTIONAL NEWS Strengthening Conservation Through Strategic Partnerships Collaboration has always been at the heart of the Southern African Wildlife College (SAWC), and this past quarter marks a major leap forward for our Strategy 2030 goals. We are proud to announce the formal signing of three key Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) designed to scale our impact, […]

Partner Spotlight: Peace Parks Foundation

Conservation Beyond Borders When landscapes function, they support water, livelihoods and economic stability far beyond protected area boundaries. Keeping these systems intact requires long-term, on-the-ground management at scale, often across national borders.  Founded in 1997 by President Nelson Mandela, HRH Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, and Dr Anton Rupert, Peace Parks Foundation works at scale, supporting the management of key […]

Conservation Leadership Development & Staff Excellence

Conflict Prevention Training and Campfire Reflection at the College  Written by: The SAWC Junior Leaders  The Southern African Wildlife College recently hosted a meaningful and engaging Preventing and Facing Conflict Training, attended by 24 staff members across departments and at all levels. The session, facilitated by Melissa Davies from Nego Services, created a valuable platform for learning, reflection, and strengthening […]

Strategic Engagements and Partnerships: NBE Update May ’26

By Dr. Thabang Teffo  The Nature-Based Economy (NBE) thematic area continues to strengthen its role in advancing conservation capacity building, leadership development, and strategic partnerships across Africa and beyond. This reporting period was marked by significant international engagement, new collaborations, funding milestones, and the continued delivery of specialised training programmes.  International Engagements and Leadership Development The unit participated in […]

Empowering Communities Through Play: Conservation Coaching in Botswana and South Africa

By Sboniso Ryan Phakathi  The Community-Led Conservation Practices thematic area continues to advance innovative, people-centred approaches to conservation education, with a strong focus on experiential learning, youth development, and community empowerment across Southern Africa.  Conservation Coaching Programme in Botswana Two members of the SAWC Coaching Conservation (CC) team travelled to Maun, Botswana (8–21 March 2026) to deliver a Train-the-Trainer programme for the […]

PAI: Beyond Law Enforcement Update – May ’26

By Scott Yammin, Precious Malapane and Bruce McDonald Building Conservation Leaders Across Borders Through KAZA 2026 The Southern African Wildlife College (SAWC) recently hosted the 2026 Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) training programme, proudly supported by the University of Kent in collaboration with the Notsew Orm Sands Foundation for the project: “Burnett Ranger Training”.  The programme brought together wildlife field rangers […]

Biomimicry example of a kingfisher beak design inspiring a high speed bullet train nose

Biomimicry: Let nature be your teacher!

What is Biomimicry? Learning from Evolutionary R&D Written by Ronan Carvill  Humans, since time immemorial, have looked to nature for ideas and inspiration. Indeed, many of our greatest technological innovations have come from learning and emulating how nature does things. Millions of years of evolutionary research and development tend to produce decent designs! A famous […]

Learning and Teaching Department Update – May ’26

By Kudakwashe Musengi, Cliford Nxumalo, Christopher Kafoteka & Fortunate Mathonsi  The Southern African Wildlife College’s Learning and Teaching Department, working closely with the Student Administration and Programme Support (SPS) team, has had a strong and dynamic second quarter. Marked by growing student numbers, increasing regional diversity, and steady academic progress across programmes, the year is already demonstrating the College’s commitment to developing […]

Strengthening Conservation Through Strategic Partnerships

Collaboration remains at the heart of effective conservation. Over the past quarter, the Southern African Wildlife College (SAWC) has taken significant steps to deepen its impact and expand its reach by signing three Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs). These agreements, entered into with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE), IQWild, and LEAD Conservation reflect a shared commitment to advancing conservation through collaboration, innovation, and […]