The work on this Game Reserve Project has many
elements, including Leopard research, Lion tracking, monitoring the impact
of Elephant population on the Reserve, Alien Plant mapping, and much more. Your assistance on this Project is
crucial to its success.
The work you could be involved in
on this project takes place all year round and is
ever-changing.
The Game Reserve is situated in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, about 60km from
the Kruger National Park and close to the town of Hoedspruit. It is adjacent
to the well-known Makalali Private Game Reserve.
It measures approx. 25,000 acres and is
home to the Big Five (Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Buffalo and Elephant). The Reserve
forms part of a unique ecosystem called the Kruger to Canyon Biosphere, which
is well-known for its bio-diversity in South Africa.
Originally, the Reserve was a cattle farm
with no wild animals present on the property and very little conservation work
took place. However, it was taken over in 1996 and the new owners have strived
to re-introduce natural fauna into the habitat and to incorporate ecological
principles into the Reserve management - the objective was to rehabilitate and
restore this wonderful piece of Africa to its former glory.
During this period various breeding herds
of small plains game were reintroduced. In 2001, disease-free buffalo and
White Rhino were relocated into the Reserve and breeding projects with Nyala
and Eland were begun. 2002 saw the introduction of Sable Antelope.
The biggest move forward for the Reserve
was made when the adjacent Makalali Reserve approached them to "Join forces"
and lower the fences between them. The priority was to increase the amount of
space for Makalali's elephant population which had outgrown its availabe
sustainable land. This move enabled all animals to roam freely between the two
Reerves.
However, this move brought about its own
ecological and managerial complications:
The two Reserves were managed as
separate entities
Essential data and consequential
ecological management of the Reserves needed to be gathered, but this was
very difficult because of the size of the combined Reserves and the lack of
manpower.
The Reserve had little data available on
prey interactions, elephant impact, and larger herbivore monitoring.
And this is where you and Travellers
comes in - your help, together with the financial funding received from
Travellers, will solve many of the obstacles that are facing the Reserve. Your
efforts will lead to the more efficient, ecological and economical running of
the Game Reserve. Also, the exchange of valuable data collected by you will
fulfil the needs of the Greater Makalali Conservancy. In other words, you'll
be helping to sustain the quality of life and freedom of the many animals now
being supported by the Game Reserve.
ABOUT
YOUR WORK
There are numerous exciting elements to
this project and our volunteers will be in on the ground floor. You'll be
involved in some of the project elements listed below.
Identifying Predator/Prey Relations AIMS: : To investigate the impact of predators on different herbivores
populations on the reserve for more effective conservation and management of
these valuable resources.
A lot of your time will be spent in the
field with the aim of locating and tracking key individual animals and packs
of animals to ascertain their spatial movements, group composition, kill
frequency and interactions, as well as prey distribution and population
structure. This will include Lion and Spotted Hyena tracking and data
collection.
Leopard Research There is a serious lack of information and data available on Leopard in
the Reserve. No-one knows how many leopards are in the Reserve, or how they
fare. The Reserve works with the Provincial Department of Nature Conservation to
help gather vital research data within the Greater Makalali Conservancy. The
first step is to establish a population count because there are great concerns
regarding the protection of these animals.
The first phase of this project began in
September 2005. Our volunteers will be involved in baiting traps to attract a
young female leopard that has been identified in the centre of the Reserve so
that she can be darted and collared and subsequently tracked and monitored.
You will go out with a ranger and a
vet every night to put fresh bait into a tree where the leopard's tracks
have indicated that she visits. This baiting takes place around last light
(about 4.30 to 5.00 p.m.)
You will then back off and observe
from a hide. This is an all-night activity that lasts until sunrise.
This process will need to be repeated
with fresh bait every day until such time as the Leopard takes the bait and
can be darted. It could take one week, or it could take as long as two
months. Leopards are notoriously elusive and on this Reserve they are not
desperate for food because there is an abundance of plains game for them to
feed on.
When the Leopard does finally take the
bait, you'll observe the vet as he darts her to anaesthetise her in
preparation for collaring.
Once darted, you'll assist the
attaching the collar and taking down any data, such as measurements, state
of health, etc.
You'll also assist in releasing the
Leopard.
Once released, you will assist in
tracking and monitoring the Leopard - this is work which will have to be
carried out every day and will include noting down details of all feeding
kills, territorial markings and scat analysis. The data collected will be
transferred to the Geographical Mapping System and shared with regional
project co-ordinators.
This is a tremendously exciting aspect of
the project and you may be lucky enough to be involved in the darting process - A
NOT-TO-BE-MISSED OPPORTUNITY!
Plains Game Sex/Age Ratios: AIMS: To accurate record sex and age ratios of herbivore species on the
Reserve in order to establish an optimal ratio to increase productivity.
This work will be carried out in
conjunction with aerial game counts to give a more accurate idea of species
composition. Daily collection of data will also be done via general movement
through the Reserve.
Specific data collection will be carried
out on important, keystone herbivores (Rhino, Hippo, Giraffe and Buffalo) and
their use of plant species, movement patterns and differential habitat
utilisation. Waterhole counts will also be carried out.
Elephant Impact Project: AIM: To investigate the impact of elephant populations in the Game
Reserve in order to contribute to the conservation and management of riverside
flora amongst others:
The Research team has made tremendous progress with Elephant
tracking and monitoring within the Greater Conservancy. The Reserve, together with
your help, will contribute to the research data collected in order to ensure a
holistic approach with regards to controlling Elephant impact on vegetation.
Nyala Breeding Initiative
AIM: To increase the Nyala population size to a sustainable ratio through
effective ecologically-sound breeding processes.
You will assist Reserve Management in feeding and monitoring the small
Nyala population on the Reserve. You will also play a key role in the
time-to-time re-location of these animals from the breeding camp to the
greater reserve.
Vegetation Monitoring: AIM: To record record the effect that different browsers (Including
Elephant), burning, bush clearing and water point distribution is having on
the vegetation in the Game Reserve.
Low impact, permanent fixed-point
photography points are used by the Reserve as "photograph sites" throughout
the year to assess the changes in vegetation over a period of time. Extensive
vegetation transects (mapped walks through the bush to count the number and
frequency of plant species per square foot) are carried out in order to
complete the vegetation map of the conservancy. The data collected from these
transects is also used to compare areas of low and high Elephant impact across
the Reserve.
Ecological Baseline Collections
AIM: To build up a database, over a period of time, of all smaller species
Fauna & Flora:
Reptiles,
Amphibians,
Birds,
Small mammals,
Insects,
Fish, Grass and Trees.
As volunteers contribute their efforts to the general research and it
progresses over time, data on the above will be collected and entered into a
centralised database. All information gathered will then be processed into an
Eco-guide for the Reserve.
Alien Plant Mapping & Controlling, Bush Clearing: Being unnatural in the savannah system, alien plants may have negative
effects on the Reserve, such as invading watercourses and causing drastic
reductions in volumes of water available to the natural system, overcrowding
indigenous plant species causing them to decline or die - alien plants are the
number one cause of extinction of indigenous plants and related organisms
worldwide. Other negative effects of alien plants include causing a change in
soil composition and thickets of alien vegetation along major river systems
change the temperature of the riverbanks to such a degree that crocodile eggs
do not incubate or hatch. Alien plants could also become a fire hazard as they
tend to burn at a higher temperature than the indigenous plants which have
adapted and shows greater tolerance for natural veld fires and therefore could
burn the rootstock or even sterilise the soil.
Travellers volunteers will assist Reserve
Management in the collection of data with regards to the spread of Alien
plants over the reserve. All data will be logged on data sheets, which will
include a GPS fix on every group or invested area. This data is then
transferred and plotted on a Geographical Mapping System. This will enable
Reserve Management in turn to methodically eradicate all exotic species on the
reserve
The Reserve Management also works closely
with a National Organisation " The Working For Water Initiative" which aims to
preserve underground water resources through the eradication of alien plant
species.
Other Activities:
Lectures and inset sessions
Social get-togethers with other
project volunteers in the area
Eating out at neighbouring up-market
game lodges (costs for these will be to your own account).
VOLUNTEER OUTCOMES
For the Reserve it is of great importance that you make a positive contribution, not
only through your presence and participation in projects, but also by acquiring
definite ownership of what you are doing. "Our
success will depend on the successes of those who are helping us."
Cobus Trauernicht, Project Manager
Volunteers and staff are jointly responsible for all data input and the
formulation of reports from projects carried out on the reserve. Monthly, six
monthly or annual reports are collated depending on the time frame of each
project, which is then presented to the Reserve Management who use this
information to make vital management decisions.
Volunteer's outcomes:
At the end of your period on this project, Piwa Game Reserve's aim is that you
should:
Have a certain knowledge, understanding
and appreciation for ecological systems and their interaction with, and
influence on one another
Appreciate the importance of the data
collected and understand the processes involved in the implementation of
strategies to address questions raised by processed data
Understand animal behaviour
Understand the importance of controlling
alien plants
Experience personal and social
development through living and working with people from different backgrounds
and cultures with similar passions and the same universal goal
Understand the principle of:
conservation = teamwork
Leave Africa knowing you have made a
huge contribution towards conservation.
YOUR
ACCOMMODATION
You will
stay in a well-appointed house inside the Reserve, which also serves as
the Headquarters from where operations take place.
Bedrooms
are well appointed, with separate male and female quarters. All linen is
provided and an in-house laundry that you can use.
Food is
supplied but you will have to prepare it yourself. There is a a fully
equipped kitchen for you to use.
Trips
are made into town once a week in order for volunteers to make phone calls
home or go through emails.
Work carried out will sometimes be intense and volunteers could expect to
contribute long hours. However, time-out is always arranged with a variety
of day trips, adventure activities, etc, to choose from. These excursions
are at the request of volunteers and for their own account and convenient
times and durations for the excursions must be arranged with your Project
Supervisor.
Projects
will, at times, require you to sleep over in the bush. You can also expect
to do a lot of tracking by vehicle or on foot.
TRAVEL:
You have the option to arrange your
own flights or we can assist you with your flight arrangements. If you would
like us to do this for you, we will liaise with you regarding available flights
and dates to suit you. All arrangements for your flight bookings/payments will
be fulfilled by Murray Rogers Travel Ltd., ATOL No. 6856. (Read more about Murray Rogers Travel Ltd.)
Where possible, we arrange for two or more people to travel on the
same flight and we will let you have the names and telephone numbers of other
volunteers on your flight, so that you can chat to each other or even meet up
before leaving for your placement.
We can also arrange your flight
dates to give you additional time at the end of your project for travelling
around and sightseeing - this is a fascinating and wondrous country!
Where possible, all flights we arrange for you
have changeable return tickets because many of our volunteers choose to extend
their stay once they are in their destination country. Changeable return tickets
enable you to do so, within the limits of your visa and the level of your air
ticket, of course. If you choose to book your own flights, you should endeavour
to get a changeable ticket. We meet you at the airport regardless of whether you
make your own travel arrangements or not.
You will usually fly into the Airport in Johannesburg
where you'll transfer to a flight to
Phalaborwa.
When you reach Phalaborwa, you'll be met at the airport and transferred to your
Project.
VISAS:. In countries where visas or immigration documents
are required, we'll send you all the necessary forms and information and make
the process very easy for you.
To read about the extensiveSupport & Backup we provide in our countries,
please click here.
PRICES
To see the Prices of this project and all
our other projects in South Africa, please
click here
Prices
include
Food & accommodation while on your project,
unless otherwise stated,
2 T-shirts, if required
for your project
All support and backup
during your programme
Meeting you at the
nearest airport, where appropriate, but exclude international travel.
.
+44 01903 502595
