By Dr. Thabang Teffo Hands-On Training and Skills Development Our trainers remained deeply engaged in the field, leading practical sessions that included ballistics, bush walks, and dangerous game courses. Together with the Kingfisherspruit Section Ranger, we advanced fire safety and ecological burning initiatives, ensuring landscapes remain resilient and productive. Specialist training was also delivered for industry partners,...Read More
Written by Sboniso Ryan Phakathi Training field rangers in human rights, safeguards, and trust building in conservation, is both a timely and complex undertaking. In regions like Southern Africa, where conservation landscapes overlap with the lived realities of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, rangers are required to navigate not only ecological challenges but also social, cultural,...Read More
By Scott Yammin, Precious Malapane and Bruce McDonald University of Kent – Burnett Scholarships for KAZA Ranger Training 2025: Building Capacity for the Future This year’s KAZA Ranger Training, now in its second year of implementation, brought together 22 participants from Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe for 10 weeks of intensive learning. The programme covered everything from...Read More
Raising the Bar in Learning and Education The Southern African Wildlife College’s Learning and Education Department continues to make remarkable strides through its Occupational Programmes Pillar. This pillar is committed to advancing skills, leadership, and excellence, while ensuring that every learning programme it delivers achieves measurable impact. Central to its mandate is the rollout of occupational...Read More
At the heart of the Southern African Wildlife College’s (SAWC) Strategy 2030 lies a clearly defined commitment to developing competent, confident, and transformative leaders capable of working across multiple sectors and governance levels to implement sustainable, inclusive conservation practices. Thematic Area 5, Leading and Managing in Conservation, focuses on building leadership capacity to address interconnected...Read More
In every issue, we’ll be shining light on one of our partners. In this edition, we’re celebrating Italtile & Ceramic Foundation Trust’s impact on one of our learners. Conscience Mkansi, hailing from Hluvukani Village, embodies the next generation of conservation changemakers. A former EcoSteward at Wild Impact and a 2024 EcoRanger certificate holder from the SAWC,...Read More
By Dr. Thabang Teffo The Nature-Based Economy (NBE) theme, as outlined in the College’s Strategy 2030, is rooted in the belief that conservation and livelihoods are not mutually exclusive. This thematic area aims to create sustainable economic opportunities that are directly tied to the stewardship of natural ecosystems. Whether through regenerative rangeland management, ethical wildlife utilisation,...Read More
The Southern African Wildlife College’s (SAWC) champions participatory models that bridge ecological objectives with social needs. This includes enhancing environmental literacy, supporting nature-positive livelihoods, and building trust between conservation agencies and communities. Key to this work is the Rural Initiative for a Sustainable Environment (RISE) Unit, which facilitates dialogue, skills development, and long-term partnerships. Moving...Read More
By Scott Yammin, Precious Malapane and Bruce McDonald Protected Area Integrity at the Southern African Wildlife College (SAWC) is not only about boots on the ground – it’s about intelligence, discipline, ethics, teamwork, cutting edge technology and lived experience to forge defenders of Africa’s most precious wildlife and resources. Under the SAWC Strategy 2030, this theme...Read More
By Peter Hamming Under the Conservation Science theme of the Southern African Wildlife College (SAWC) Strategy 2030, we are committed to harnessing cutting-edge scientific methods and data-driven insights to safeguard biodiversity and enhance ecosystem resilience. This overarching and holistic thematic area encompasses the protection, conservation, management, and restoration of biodiversity and natural resources – including ecosystem,...Read More
