Become a conservation research volunteer

Sustainable wildlife management

Wildlife research and management in southern Africa

Southern Africa’s wildlife populations are currently under threat from all sides. The region’s growing human population is placing ever more pressure on limited resources such as water and habitat, forcing wildlife to live on ever-shrinking ‘islands’ of land. Meanwhile, climate change is exacerbating the situation. Summers are getting hotter and lasting longer, affecting the flow of rivers that provide a vital supply of water for wildlife.

All of this is happening against a backdrop of poaching, including poaching species such as rhinos for their horns, pangolins and vultures for use in traditional medicines, and antelopes as bush meat.

Wildlife research and management underpin the region’s whole conservation movement. Every ecosystem is a delicate balance of species that hunt one another and consume natural resources such as vegetation and water. So to create a self-sustaining balance of species, conservationists need to constantly monitor the population dynamics of each animal, including ratios of male to female and age categorisations, how predator and prey species interact with each other and the available natural resources.

Carefully managed breeding programs and the game-capture industry can help to re-establish lost wildlife populations. Volunteer wildlife research also plays an increasingly important role in these efforts.

Wildlife and conservation volunteering to replace trophy hunting in southern Africa

At African Conservation Experience, we believe conservation travel provides a viable financial model to replace trophy hunting.

While trophy hunting is still legally practised, we think the conservation community needs to continue its work identifying sustainable quotas for hunting. This is a vital task as trophy hunters predominantly focus on adult males, which raises serious questions about the impact on populations that are regularly exposed to hunting.

During your time in Africa, chances are you will meet people who strongly support or oppose hunting. From an outsider’s perspective, it is difficult to understand how anybody could defend a pastime which legitimises the killing of animals such as lions, elephants and giraffes. But this is a highly complex and controversial subject, and the jury is still out on how best to manage trophy hunting in Africa.

As animal lovers and conservationists, it is important that we do not let our moral objections to trophy hunting cloud our scientific judgment. However, looking at all the facts, we believe that conservation travel represents a genuinely viable alternative to hunting - replacing the money provided by hunting licences with financial support from travellers who would rather help animals than hunt them.

Human-wildlife conflict in southern Africa

When you arrive in Africa, you’ll quickly discover one of the key issues affecting wildlife conservation is the expanding human population. This is resulting in more human-wildlife conflicts, leading to injuries and deaths on both sides.

The most common causes of human-wildlife conflict are animals damaging crops and livestock. When you consider that a fully grown elephant can eat up to 300kg of food a day, it’s easy to understand the farmer’s point of view. Similarly, if a pride of wild lions killed the herd of cattle you relied on for your livelihood, you might be tempted to use some pretty extreme methods to prevent a similar incident from happening again in future.

But there are ways to solve these issues that do not involve illegally and unnecessarily killing animals. Wildlife conservationists in Africa employ many different strategies to avoid human-animal conflict – and even find ways that people and wildlife can benefit each other. These include working with local communities to create physical barriers and deterrents, as well as identifying higher-risk areas that could draw animals into conflict with a community or local farmer, for example, unprotected crop fields.

What to expect as a conservation research volunteer in southern Africa

As a wildlife research and management volunteer, you won’t just observe conservation - you’ll live it. Every day, you’ll be part of real conservation work on the frontline, supporting initiatives that directly contribute to the protection of vulnerable species and habitats and are aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We are also proud to be affiliated with leading global organisations like WWF and the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT).

Expect your days to start early, perhaps with a game drive or checking camera traps for signs of elusive species. You’ll learn practical fieldwork skills, from animal identification and tracking to behavioural observations. Guided by experienced conservationists, you’ll gain specialist knowledge in everything from population monitoring to reducing human-wildlife conflict, and directly support them in their efforts.

And it’s not just the wildlife that leaves a mark. Around the campfire, you’ll meet like-minded conservation volunteers from around the world - people who, like you, are passionate about making a genuine impact.