An
exciting and thorough hands-on introduction to
African Wildlife Research: collar and track leopards,
get close to and study a troop of baboons, learn
how to monitor Elephants in the Kruger and help
a local community develop an environmental management
plan.
Includes a trip to Kruger National Park and Tuli
Wilderness In Botswana!!!
Location:
The research station is located on a large game
reserve in the northern part of South Africa, high
up in the Soutpansberg mountain range. The area
is famous for its breathtaking mountain scenery,
pristine wilderness and its close proximity to
other tourist “must-sees” such as
Kruger National Park, the Tuli wilderness area
in Botswana and the Mapungubwe National Park
This area and reserve has recently been declared
a National Heritage Site and are currently in the
process of applying for recognition as a UNESCO
Biosphere Reserve.
Objective:
The objective of this project is to give volunteers
the opportunity to participate in research
and outreach programmes aimed at the management
of the unique biodiversity of a proposed new
Reserve in the area. The new Reserve will cover
the area from the Blouberg and Soutpansberg
Mountain ranges up to the Limpopo River and
will include the northern part of the Kruger
National Park and the Mapungubwe National Park.
The area is well known for its wilderness character
and its interesting cultural history. The programme
will operate from a research centre situated
high up in the Soutpansberg Mountain.
What You'll Experience:
This project is for volunteers who want a well
rounded conservation and wilderness experience,
with an emphasis on wildlife research. It includes
the following components:
The impact of elephant on
the environment:
Volunteers will spend two nights in the Kruger
National Park and two nights in the Tuli Wilderness
area in Botswana to evaluate the impact of elephant
and to discuss the interesting elephant management
issues in South Africa. Elephants are threatened
in Africa but in South Africa and Botswana numbers
are so high that they have an impact on the environment.
The following activities will be included:
- Observation of herd structure, behaviour
and environmental impacts in the Kruger National
Park.
- A visit to the Elephant Museum in Letaba
Camp.
- A lecture on elephant management in the Kruger
National Park by a park official.
- General observations of the impact of high
elephant numbers on the vegetation in the Tuli
Wilderness area in Botswana.
- Participation in a study to determine the
impact of elephant on trees and smaller mammal
species in the Tuli Wilderness area.
The management of leopard
and other species:
Volunteers will participate in a study on leopard
in the Soutpansberg Mountain where numbers
are relatively high and conflict with game
and cattle farmers occur. The study includes
the following:
- Recording of tracks and other signs to determine
density and distribution.
- The use of scouting cameras to identify individual
animals and to determine leopard densities
and survival rates.
- The use of radio-telemetry to determine home
range sizes.
- Gathering of information on conflict between
land owners and leopard through interviews
and official records.
- Prey composition from scat analysis.
- Computer modelling of leopard population
dynamics.
Information on other predators such as brown
hyaena, caracal, civet, genets, honey badgers
and mongooses are also recorded.
Conservation of primates:
Primates in the region are threatened by increasing
conflict with crop farmers. Volunteers will
participate in studies on habituated troops
of either Chacma Baboon, Vervet Monkey or Sykes
(Samango) Monkey at the Lajuma Research Centre.
Behaviour, home range, food habits, predator
avoidance and interaction between species are
studied in a fragmented environment. Most of
the primate troops are habituated to human
presence and this often leads to some unforgettable
up close encounters!
Involvement of rural communities
in conservation:
Volunteers will participate in a programme aimed
at the establishment of a nature reserve on
the Machabeng Plateau, a wilderness area owned
by a rural community. Activities will include
discussions with community leaders to compile
a management plan, establishment of boundaries,
vegetation mapping, species lists, development
of a camping site, a socio-economic survey
of the community, training of game guards and
other staff and an environmental awareness
programme.
Preservation of biodiversity:
The area has a remarkable biological diversity,
particularly in the mountainous areas. This
biodiversity is linked to a high diversity
in geomorphology, soil and climate with a resultant
high diversity in vegetation types. Field surveys
are conducted to record the diversity and to
explain the complex interactions between the
environment and species diversity as well as
the interactions between species. Volunteers
will participate in one or more of the following
field surveys:
- The distribution and habitat requirements
of rare and endemic plant species.
- The occurrence and habitat requirements of
spiders and scorpions on a transect over the
Soutpansberg Mountain (more than 300 species
of spiders and 16 species of scorpions have
been recorded to date).
- The distribution and habitat requirements
of endemic reptiles in the western part of
the Soutpansberg Mountain. Great news is that
a new species of chameleon has recently been
recorded!
- The importance of ecological communication
for the survival of bird species.
- The distribution and habitat requirements
of small mammals. The study is presently concentrating
on an area with a complex of vegetation types
in the upper part of the Soutpansberg. Live
trapping and marking is done to determine species
composition, habitat preference, resource partitioning
and predator avoidance. A high diversity of
shrews that occur in the region is of particular
conservation importance.
Necessary Skills:
Apart from a positive, open minded enthusiasm...
not much! You will be required to source your
own transport to the study site but we will
give you comprehensive instructions about this.
You will also be required to buy and cook your
own meals. There will be constant on-site support
to provide you with training and to make your
stay enjoyable. It would help if you are in
a reasonable state of fitness to get the most
out of the experience.
Work Hours:
Work begins at 08:00 in the morning with an hour’s
break for lunch and the day ends at 16:00 in
the afternoon.
The schedule is set up so you have one day off
per week, to see the sights nearby or just to
catch up on your tan. Apart from the day off
you will also have a town day where you will
be taken into Makhado town where it’s possible
to stock up on any essentials, catch up with
your emails and to buy your groceries for the
week.
Accommodation and Catering:
Accommodation is rustic but comfortable, and
located on the research site. You will be required
to share a room with fellow volunteers or research
students, however there will never be more
than 3 to a room. Bring a sleeping bag, blankets
are available on site if you get cold. Electricity
in the rooms is based on hydro-electricity
(220V) from a nearby dam and is therefore limited.
You will be able to recharge your cell phone,
camera batteries, laptop etc with converters
but you won’t be able to run a hairdryer,
kettles etc.
Please note this project requires volunteers to
buy their own groceries and cook their own meals.
You will be taken into Makhado town once a week
to buy your groceries. On arrival, you will be
given a budget of US$100-150 per month for your
meals, depending on your requirements. |
