Why Conservation in South Africa?

South Africa: Despite its troubled history, South Africa is now a beacon of economic development and stability. Built on a plethora of natural resources, especially diamonds and gold, it is a country of enormous optimism. From the Cape of Good Hope to the Kruger National park, South Africa is home to spectacular scenery and some of the greatest game reserves in the world.

Botswana: Landlocked Botswana gained independence from the British in 1966, since when the country’s economy has flourished, resulting in it being one of the wealthiest nations in Southern Africa. Arguably as a result of this, Botswana has chosen to largely veer away from an expansion of game reserves, and remains a country with a progressive attitude to conservation, keen to remove all fences and allow all wildlife to roam free.

Volunteering in Southern Africa

Projects Abroad Conservation volunteers in Southern Africa volunteers will take part in the preservation and development of our very own area of untouched African Bush; the project is designed to conserve this area and to return the land to its natural state. Volunteers are based in an Unfenced Nature reserve in the south of Botswana in an area called the Tuli Block thriving with herds of Elephant, Antelope and Zebra. Being unfenced there is no limit to the wildlife it may encounter – there have been sightings of Hippos, Giraffe and Leopard, and with the removal of further fences, we are hoping to see a return of the rare African Rhino to this area.

There is a huge amount and variety of working activities on the reserve ranging from tree protection, to collecting data on the area’s Elephant population. Volunteers spend the majority of the time working in Botswana but often cross the border into South Africa, where they have the chance to work on one of the youngest SAN (South African National) parks Mapungubwe, here volunteers can experience how a commercial park works, and join there conservation team on projects such as Erosion Defense and get to learn the basics of managing and maintaining the reserve as well as assisting with the gathering of data.

Why take part in a Conservation project?

Man's negative impact on the environment is more apparent today than ever before. Unsustainable development, a rapidly growing population, exploitation of natural resources, high pollution levels, over-hunting of animals... these are just some of the ways in which man has abused and is abusing the earth. The consequences of our actions are serious. In destroying natural habitats and causing the extinction of animal species, we are simultaneously destroying our own habitat and causing potentially irreversible damage, the effects of which will be suffered by future generations.

Taking part in a conservation project will not 'save the world'; however each volunteer has the power to make a valuable contribution. By preserving a part of the natural world, you are preserving an integral part of the network of life.