In the midst of the lockdowns and the pandemic, it seemed that the whole world, including the tourism sector, the conservation industry, business and certainly various communities not only experienced the collective insecurity and stress of not knowing what would happen to them and their livelihoods as the ever giving tap of tourism suddenly, and […]
In August 2020 the Southern African Wildlife College, through the Rural Initiatives for Sustainable Environment (RISE) Unit, entered into an agreement with the Peace Parks Foundation (PPF) as a consultant and partner on the Global Environment Facility (GEF6) Project on Strengthening Community Capacity to Reduce the Rate of Illegal Wildlife Trade in the Greater Limpopo […]
The Southern African Wildlife College always strives to produce the best quality of conservationists across the region. This year we congratulate NRM NQF 5 Class of 2020 who joined a great pool of alumni of conservationists by completing the National Certificate in Natural Resource Management, Terrestrial; on 26 November 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic forced Schools, […]
This year the SAWC has embarked on a journey to develop a full three-year Diploma in Applied Natural Resource Management. What will set this qualification apart from other conventional diplomas is the ‘flipped classroom’ approach that the SAWC team has embraced. Whereas, the theoretical part of a course is generally covered face-to-face in a classroom […]
We started off 2020 at full steam with the usual events to welcome new students and then less than three months later we were frantically making travel arrangements to ensure all our students were able to reach their homes before lockdown was implemented. Simultaneously we were gathering information on the pandemic to educate staff and […]
Without repeating the obvious this year was quite something! However, instead of speaking of the trials and tribulations that many have experienced, the unit would prefer to speak about opportunity. For many of us, the incredible harshness of the lockdown forced us to re-evaluate personal and professional assumptions. “In my case, the assumptions about what […]
Despite restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Applied Learning Unit (ALU) has continued with its projects and development. In doing so, the ALU uses research and innovation to address the information required by practitioners, policy makers and rural communities in conservation. The unit addresses these requirements by continuing the development of a wide variety […]
COVID-19 is just one of many ongoing challenges communities living in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga face. A recent community leadership development programme run near conservation sites in both provinces has highlighted that developing agility and self-belief leads to more empowered, resilient and invested stakeholders – which is vital for the long-term sustainability of conservation in these […]
The SAWC’s K9 unit is one of the most innovative and successful applied learning projects in Africa. Its anti-poaching successes on the ground have increased exponentially in recent years largely due to the four-tiered approach adopted to test best practice. This includes rangers, dogs, aerial support and community engagement. In supporting rangers on the ground, […]
A new leader steps up to manage the training of aspirant and seasoned field rangers The Southern African Wildlife College extends a very warm welcome to Mr. Altin Gysman, the new head of its Protected Area Integrity Department, which includes its African Field Ranger Training Services Unit, its K9 Unit and its Aerial Support unit. […]