Georgie Pearce and Owen van Rooyen, members of Peace Parks Foundation’s communication team, had the opportunity to spend some time in the field, with a visit to the Southern African Wildlife College just outside Hoedspruit, within the Kruger National Park. It was the perfect motivation to build great relationships and stories.
Watch part one of their trip here.
Born out of the need to strengthen the training of protected area managers to rise to challenges on the ground, the vision for the Southern African Wildlife College was for it to become a specialist centre of conservation education, training, and skills development. Built on land owned by WWF SA, construction of the college was completed in 1996, and it opened its doors a year later. Peace Parks Foundation’s commendable fundraising capabilities for students from the Southern African Development Community to enrol at the college cemented a very special relationship between the organisations.
Since its establishment, more than 20 000 students from 56 countries and 127 wildlife areas have received training in natural resource management and responsible resource use. The college has gained a well-deserved international reputation as a centre of excellence, and Peace Parks is immensely proud to be a part of this remarkable track record.
The college offers professional training courses for aspirant field guides in order to be able to lead safe and educational game drives. Specialised training in leading photographic safaris is also possible, giving guests the best opportunity to capture the perfect shot of Africa’s magnificent wildlife and bushveld landscapes.
On their visit to the college, Georgie and Owen leapt at the opportunity to go on a bushveld adventure led by the knowledgeable Scott Yammin, the college’s University Programme and Field Coordinator. A great game drive must be educational by nature, and Scott kept the Peace Parks duo thoroughly engaged, proudly sharing tales of the local history and ecology.
A notable addition to the Southern African Wildlife College is its Aerial Support Unit, which significantly boosts counter-poaching and conservation management in the Greater Kruger National Park area, spanning nearly 500 000 hectares. The college offers advanced flight training to select students, which includes bush-flying and short-field techniques, game counting, and counter-poaching aerial coverage training. Georgie and Owen, a day after an inspiring game drive, took off from the college airstrip and were given a taste of what aerial operations entail on a flight in a Savannah light sport aircraft.
Having the unique experience of breathtaking views from above and a bounty of wildlife from the ground reminded Georgie and Owen just how precious the knowledge and skills of managing the protection of wild landscapes are.
Could you see yourself working to conserve Africa’s wild spaces? Visit the Southern African Wildlife College website today to view the full range of courses on offer. Stay tuned to PPTV on your favourite social media platform for part three of Georgie and Owen’s trip to the college!
