africa - Travel Club Elite

126 South Africa h Earthwatch h volunteering
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1
Earthwatch - Volunteering in South Africa
South Africa is an ideal
volunteering destination to enjoy one of
Earthwatch’s expeditions,
with opportunities
involving the study of South Africa’s penguin
colonies and the leopards and primates of the
Soutpansberg Mountain Range. Tasks will
range from observing behaviour, collecting
GPS data to trialling revolutionary new
technology as well as helping the scientists with
various other tasks.
Living Alongside Leopards and
Monkeys in South Africa
expedition duration: 11 nights
THE MISSION
To shift negative perceptions of leopards and to minimise
the conflict between them and humans through an increased
understanding of the ecology of the species and through
broader analysis of carnivore diets. There is also a need
to monitor predator populations within the Soutpansberg
Mountains, to ensure that human activities are not having a
detrimental effect on the numbers found in the area.
There is also a focus on primates as they are often cited
as a disruptive pest as, due to their intelligence, they are
quick to take advantage of crops and other human food
sources causing frustration for local farmers. The team
study three types of primates – chacma baboons, vervet
monkeys and samango monkeys and as they habituate to
the close proximity of researchers quickly, they are able to
observe them closely. An important aspect of the work is to
understand how and why these conflicts between primates
and humans come about and to examine ways we can help
live in harmony.
A TYPICAL DAY
Below is a taste of what a typical day as a volunteer on
the Living Alongside Leopards and Monkeys in South
Africa programme may be like. Be aware that each day is
different, and activities will change due to weather, work
conditions and project demands. Volunteers usually have
one recreational day per week.
7:00 am - Breakfast
8:00 am - Briefing on the day’s activities by the
research staff
8:30 am - Depart either on foot or by vehicle and visit a
number of camera trap stations or tracks for scat samples
12:30 pm - Lunch
2.00 pm - At wilderness camp, either downloading and
processing the information from the cameras or filtering
and processing scat at the research centre. Volunteers may
be involved in data collection and monitoring vegetation
plots for primate food availability.
7:00 pm - Dinner
After dinner - Talks from the research staff or time
for relaxation.
guide price
from
£1995 per person
Guide price includes accommodation, all meals, transfers and expedition
itinerary as detailed but excludes international flights.