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 protected...Read More
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 workplace...Read More
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 several...Read More
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 Coaching...Read More
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...Read More
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...Read More
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...Read More
Written by Wendy Collinson, Peter Hamming and Ronan Carvill The Southern African Wildlife College (SAWC) continues to strengthen its Conservation Science thematic area, equipping conservation practitioners with the scientific knowledge and practical skills needed to address complex environmental challenges across Africa. Advancing Applied Natural Resource Management A defining milestone for 2026 is the official launch of our Diploma...Read More
Professional Milestones and Infrastructure Growth February marked a shift towards high-level compliance and campus development. The College hosted successful “pre-application” visits from the Department of Water and Sanitation and an Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) inspection from the Department of Employment and Labour, both of which yielded positive feedback. These visits were critical as the SSHEQ department continues...Read More
Operations Back on campus, the beginning of 2026 was defined by a powerful display of nature’s force—and the equally powerful resilience of our Facilities team. As the first quarter unfolded, the Facilities department—encompassing Operations, Hospitality, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Maintenance, and Safety, Security, Health, Environment and Quality (SSHEQ)—navigated extreme weather and rigorous professional milestones to ensure a successful start...Read More
