The words from João Vas, the Community Development Coordinator from Zinave National Park (ZNP), when he was asked about the value of the learning exchange with the Community Engagement Team (CET) from Banhine National Park (BNP), were: “Learning gives us confidence and the exchange gives us the tools…”. Learning exchanges are becoming increasingly relevant in […]
Pan African Conservation Education The Rural Initiatives for a Sustainable Environment (RISE) Unit and Pan African Conservation Education (PACE) partnership is dedicated to expanding access to PACE materials through our learning hub and enhancing environmental learning in the communities and schools we engage with. The SAWC PACE hub aids in distributing materials in South Africa […]
By Anelle Rautenbach – Head: Quality Management and Accreditation Welcoming Our New Coordinator We are proud to introduce Senziwe Morale. She brings her institutional knowledge and understanding of accreditation processes to the growing team. Senziwe’s role is essential to maintaining the accreditation status of our learning programmes and submission cycles, thereby ensuring that our students […]
Training interventions SAWC Herding Academy Since the transition of the Herding Academy to the College, now placed under the Responsible Resource Management (RRM) Department, the academy offers three (3) training programmes for regenerative herding practices in the region: Professional Herder (5-day course). Professional Herder Team Leader (30-day course). The newly developed train-the-trainer, Professional Herder […]
By Peter Hamming As mornings grow colder and the veld dries up, food and water become scarce, prompting some birds to depart South Africa, flying north for warmth and sustenance. As summer ends, these birds undertake perilous migrations each year, facing threats like habitat loss and hunting. Researchers aim to map these fly routes to […]
By Marina Khoza – Junior Lecturer On 24 and 25 April 2024, I attended the 5th Summit on Teaching with Technology, hosted by Mangosuthu University of Technology. The conference was centred on how institutions of higher learning should respond to advancements in technology, particularly the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in educational spaces. The conference […]
By Kudakwashe Musengi – Lecturer It was a great honour to be part of the validation workshop on waste management and community-based natural resources management curricula programmes in Tanzania from 6 to 8 April 2024. The workshop, held at Mount Meru Hotel and hosted by the esteemed College of African Wildlife Management (CAWM), was a […]
By Cliford Nxumalo – Research Assistant Prof. Alan Gardiner and I (from the Applied Learning and Research Department), together with a field assistant, Shabani, went on a life-changing adventure in April 2024. This was my first time travelling outside South Africa to another African country. Travelling to Angola to collect endemic butterflies was an incredible […]
Following the resignation of Altin Gysman to continue his career in the South African Military Service, the Southern African Wildlife College (SAWC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Jeremy Hancock to head up its Protected Area Integrity Department. Having grown up between Giyani and Manyeleti Game Reserve, Jeremy is not new to the area but […]
By Dr Lindy Thompson Vultures are the most highly threatened group of birds on the planet. In the 1990s, vulture populations in Nepal, Pakistan, and India plummeted in what scientists termed the ‘Asian Vulture Crisis’. About two decades later, similar declines in vulture populations were observed in Africa, prompting leading vulture biologists and conservationists to […]