In this Peace Parks TV episode, join us behind the scenes at the Braveheart Course that took place in Mozambique’s Maputo National Park. Braveheart is a Ranger Leadership Development Programme facilitated by the Southern African Wildlife College (SAWC), designed to help ranger leaders gain insight into the key roles of authority, guidance and management in conservation.
Under expert instruction by SAWC trainers, ranger leaders selected from Limpopo, Zinave, Maputo and Banhine national parks were guided through a comprehensive but targeted curriculum, encouraging them to build the skills, knowledge, and attitude necessary to add value to their specific job. The course exposed them to content ranging from conservation and law enforcement ethics to communication and combating corruption – all topics and technical approaches that daily practices in the field would not routinely offer them.
Team building is a significant component of self-development that is threaded through the course. It acknowledges the vital role of rangers’ relationships and mutual trust in the efficacy, and enjoyment, of the work that they do.
“Every morning we do a bit of exercise for the students just to relax their minds,” says Brendan Persons, course facilitator at SAWC. “It’s part of team building, spirit, and forging unity amongst the students, and it’s also part of certain key aspects of leadership and training.”
The participants were both enthused and empowered by the course. “The training has been well thought out,” said Moiran Saide Tambore, ranger at Maputo National Park. “It will help us to improve in many areas where we were lacking – especially in reporting and patrolling.”
“In terms of leadership, I am acquiring knowledge and skills that I will be able to use with my team when I return to work,” added Pinto Armando Chaúque, ranger at Limpopo National Park.
The personal as well as professional gains from the Braveheart Course are invaluable takeaways for rangers, who often come from the communities local to where they work. The holistic programme can enable them to feel significantly invested both in these protected areas and the people living there.
The four national parks across Mozambique from where rangers were selected for Braveheart are all co-managed by Peace Parks and Mozambique’s National Administration for Conservation Areas who share a commitment to restore, protect and develop these vital ecosystems, while also empowering the communities that dependent on their natural resources, employment and livelihood opportunities.
Visit parquemaputo.gov.mz/en to learn more, and watch this space for updates on Braveheart’s increasing positive impacts!
