Wildlife conservation holidays in Swaziland
| country: | South Africa |
| location: | Swaziland |
| departures: | Threatened species project can start any day throughout the year. Other projects start every other Friday, from January to November |
| price: | From £1995 - £2695 (12 weeks) excluding flights. Shorter trips and extra weeks are also available |
the amazing things you'll be doing
The Kingdom of Swaziland is the second smallest country in Africa with a diverse landscape, from mountains and river gorges in the west to the plains near the border with Mozambique. Swazis are a proud and peaceful nation who have carefully guarded their traditional tribal values and customs. English and siSwati are the official languages.
Tourism is increasing due to its low crime rate, natural beauty, wildlife and culture. You can help wildlife conservation here by joining one of our 3 holidays:
African Savanna conservation Trans-frontier conservation Threatened species project 
Savanna vegetation is the most widespread and typical of African ecosystems and is the habitat which supports so much of Africa's wildlife. Although African savannas are well represented in conservation areas they are undergoing widespread changes as a result of human influence through land management and climate change. Although African savannas are better known for their large charismatic game such as elephant, rhino and lion, there are a variety of smaller species that are threatened and important in the functioning of these ecosystems. They also contain some extremely long lived trees that have survived for centuries through droughts, fires, floods and other environmental change.
There is a pressing need to better understand the ecology of African savannas and their threatened species in order to be able to manage them and effectively conserve them. Despite this, the resources available for doing so are limited. Hence the birth of the African savanna project.
This project involves research and hands on conservation action to investigate the ecology of savanna species in northeastern Swaziland to help in their conservation. We try to identify which species can be used as general indicators of the health of savanna ecosystems. Threatened birds and bats are a focus of this project in particular their reproduction and movement. Rhino and elephant are also monitored to identify activity patterns and changes in social structure. Tortoise movements and activity are also monitored and threatened plants (some found nowhere else in the world) may also be surveyed to monitor reproductive success and survival. The African Savanna Project is set in the 60,000 ha Lubombo Conservancy of north eastern Swaziland which contains lion, rhino, elephant, leopard, giraffe and a whole host of other big game. Working within this area, you will be joining the staff and researchers to assist with a variety of research and conservation activities.
This area of Swaziland is particularly rich in threatened species, and forms part of the Maputaland centre of endemism (one of the World's "hotspots" of floral, as well as faunal, species richness and endemism). It is an area that provides an excellent location to investigate savanna ecology because of the variety of land-use histories on different parts of the area.
It is also an area with an interesting story behind it. In 1999 the Lubombo Conservancy was launched to co-operate the management of five adjoining national parks, nature reserves and conservation areas. Each of these areas has been managed separately by very different stakeholders (government, traditional communities, private owners) and the vision is to form one large conservation area managed as a unit. Building partnerships and knocking down fences to allow the wildlife to roam free is a process that takes many years but this is conservation in action and by joining the savanna project you can play your part in this process.
In a surprising number of cases, national parks and conservation areas are situated on the boundary of a country next to a neighboring countries' national park or conservation area. Often these international boundaries simply cut through important ecosystems. In such cases there is a strong need for co-operating conservation management on either side of the international border. Such co-operation provides a serious managerial challenge but can be a vehicle for promoting peace and mutual prosperity through tourism and natural resource benefits. This is what trans-frontier conservation is all about and it has attracted major political and conservation interest and is resulting in some very large conservation areas.
The Malolotja-Songimvelo trans-frontier conservation area is a prime example of where co-operation is taking place across an international boundary in a bid to conserve one of Africa 's most important mountain ecosystems. This area is a global biodiversity hotspot and falls within the Barberton mountainlands centre of plant endemism and the south east African centre of bird endemism. Malolotja-Songimvelo is home to the big four (elephant, rhino, leopard, buffalo) and also contains some spectacularly beautiful scenery.
This project involves research and monitoring to investigate the ecology of threatened species in the Malolotja-Songimvelo trans-frontier conservation area and to help in their conservation. Threatened birds and plants are a focus of this project in particular their reproduction and survival. Rhino and elephant are also monitored to identify activity patterns and home ranges as are bats and small predators. In terms of hands-on conservation action this project involves fire break management, alien plant mapping and control, fence patrols and hiking trail marking and maintenance. It also involves community outreach to improve community-park relations and to spread awareness of conservation practices.
Swaziland, despite its small size, supports a diverse assemblage of habitats which are home to a wide range of organisms. Although the information base on Swaziland's biodiversity is still incomplete, survey work has shown that a significant portion of southern Africa's plant and animal species occur here. The eastern region of Swaziland, for example, forms part of the Maputaland Centre of Plant Diversity (one of the World's "hotspots" of floral, as well as faunal, species richness and endemism), while the western region falls within another area of global significance, the Drakensberg Escarpment Endemic Bird Area. The value of Swaziland's biodiversity has long been recognised by Swazis who make use of it on a daily basis for various reasons including: traditional medicine, food, building material and traditional attire.
Traditional systems of conserving biodiversity also exist but have not been documented and are currently being eroded. Birds and bats, due to their volant nature, are not obstructed by fences and other human-made obstacles such as roads. These two groups, therefore, are ideal for the study of habitat relationships amongst vertebrates, since their patterns of distribution will not be influenced by such human-induced features of the landscape. Hence, these two groups could act as indicators of the health of ecosystems. Birds are traditionally regarded as being well studied and a detailed bird atlas does exist for Swaziland (Parker 1994). However, information on distributions alone is rarely sufficient for making effective conservation decisions. In contrast, bats are very poorly known in southern Africa in general (Taylor 2000) and in Swaziland in particular (Monadjem 1998). Even basic information on distributions is severely limited for most species.
This project proposes to investigate whether certain species of birds and bats can be used as general indicators of the health of Swaziland's ecosystems. Threatened birds and bats will be the focus of this project, which will increase our understanding of their biology. The information thus gained will assist in the development of conservation management and action plans, both for particular species as well as for threatened habitats. Without such studies, Swaziland will not be in a position to be able to effectively conserve her biological diversity, and hence will fail to meet her obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity (which was signed and ratified over a decade ago).
The spotted hyena is also in need of monitoring, and time will be spent on monitoring the home ranges and conservation status of threatened populations of spotted hyena in Swaziland, southern Africa. So far 3 spotted hyena have been radio collared and their home ranges tracked using radio telemetry. Territories and dens have been located and breeding success monitored. Some dung samples have been analysed to determine feeding patterns. Important information is emerging concerning the conservation needs of these species. Volunteers are needed to help locate new den sites, monitor territories and home range movements, monitor prey populations and collect and analyse dung samples.
Tourism is increasing due to its low crime rate, natural beauty, wildlife and culture. You can help wildlife conservation here by joining one of our 3 holidays:
African savanna conservation
Savanna vegetation is the most widespread and typical of African ecosystems and is the habitat which supports so much of Africa's wildlife. Although African savannas are well represented in conservation areas they are undergoing widespread changes as a result of human influence through land management and climate change. Although African savannas are better known for their large charismatic game such as elephant, rhino and lion, there are a variety of smaller species that are threatened and important in the functioning of these ecosystems. They also contain some extremely long lived trees that have survived for centuries through droughts, fires, floods and other environmental change. There is a pressing need to better understand the ecology of African savannas and their threatened species in order to be able to manage them and effectively conserve them. Despite this, the resources available for doing so are limited. Hence the birth of the African savanna project.
This project involves research and hands on conservation action to investigate the ecology of savanna species in northeastern Swaziland to help in their conservation. We try to identify which species can be used as general indicators of the health of savanna ecosystems. Threatened birds and bats are a focus of this project in particular their reproduction and movement. Rhino and elephant are also monitored to identify activity patterns and changes in social structure. Tortoise movements and activity are also monitored and threatened plants (some found nowhere else in the world) may also be surveyed to monitor reproductive success and survival. The African Savanna Project is set in the 60,000 ha Lubombo Conservancy of north eastern Swaziland which contains lion, rhino, elephant, leopard, giraffe and a whole host of other big game. Working within this area, you will be joining the staff and researchers to assist with a variety of research and conservation activities.
This area of Swaziland is particularly rich in threatened species, and forms part of the Maputaland centre of endemism (one of the World's "hotspots" of floral, as well as faunal, species richness and endemism). It is an area that provides an excellent location to investigate savanna ecology because of the variety of land-use histories on different parts of the area.
It is also an area with an interesting story behind it. In 1999 the Lubombo Conservancy was launched to co-operate the management of five adjoining national parks, nature reserves and conservation areas. Each of these areas has been managed separately by very different stakeholders (government, traditional communities, private owners) and the vision is to form one large conservation area managed as a unit. Building partnerships and knocking down fences to allow the wildlife to roam free is a process that takes many years but this is conservation in action and by joining the savanna project you can play your part in this process.
trans-frontier conservation
In a surprising number of cases, national parks and conservation areas are situated on the boundary of a country next to a neighboring countries' national park or conservation area. Often these international boundaries simply cut through important ecosystems. In such cases there is a strong need for co-operating conservation management on either side of the international border. Such co-operation provides a serious managerial challenge but can be a vehicle for promoting peace and mutual prosperity through tourism and natural resource benefits. This is what trans-frontier conservation is all about and it has attracted major political and conservation interest and is resulting in some very large conservation areas. The Malolotja-Songimvelo trans-frontier conservation area is a prime example of where co-operation is taking place across an international boundary in a bid to conserve one of Africa 's most important mountain ecosystems. This area is a global biodiversity hotspot and falls within the Barberton mountainlands centre of plant endemism and the south east African centre of bird endemism. Malolotja-Songimvelo is home to the big four (elephant, rhino, leopard, buffalo) and also contains some spectacularly beautiful scenery.
This project involves research and monitoring to investigate the ecology of threatened species in the Malolotja-Songimvelo trans-frontier conservation area and to help in their conservation. Threatened birds and plants are a focus of this project in particular their reproduction and survival. Rhino and elephant are also monitored to identify activity patterns and home ranges as are bats and small predators. In terms of hands-on conservation action this project involves fire break management, alien plant mapping and control, fence patrols and hiking trail marking and maintenance. It also involves community outreach to improve community-park relations and to spread awareness of conservation practices.
threatened species project
Swaziland, despite its small size, supports a diverse assemblage of habitats which are home to a wide range of organisms. Although the information base on Swaziland's biodiversity is still incomplete, survey work has shown that a significant portion of southern Africa's plant and animal species occur here. The eastern region of Swaziland, for example, forms part of the Maputaland Centre of Plant Diversity (one of the World's "hotspots" of floral, as well as faunal, species richness and endemism), while the western region falls within another area of global significance, the Drakensberg Escarpment Endemic Bird Area. The value of Swaziland's biodiversity has long been recognised by Swazis who make use of it on a daily basis for various reasons including: traditional medicine, food, building material and traditional attire. Traditional systems of conserving biodiversity also exist but have not been documented and are currently being eroded. Birds and bats, due to their volant nature, are not obstructed by fences and other human-made obstacles such as roads. These two groups, therefore, are ideal for the study of habitat relationships amongst vertebrates, since their patterns of distribution will not be influenced by such human-induced features of the landscape. Hence, these two groups could act as indicators of the health of ecosystems. Birds are traditionally regarded as being well studied and a detailed bird atlas does exist for Swaziland (Parker 1994). However, information on distributions alone is rarely sufficient for making effective conservation decisions. In contrast, bats are very poorly known in southern Africa in general (Taylor 2000) and in Swaziland in particular (Monadjem 1998). Even basic information on distributions is severely limited for most species.
This project proposes to investigate whether certain species of birds and bats can be used as general indicators of the health of Swaziland's ecosystems. Threatened birds and bats will be the focus of this project, which will increase our understanding of their biology. The information thus gained will assist in the development of conservation management and action plans, both for particular species as well as for threatened habitats. Without such studies, Swaziland will not be in a position to be able to effectively conserve her biological diversity, and hence will fail to meet her obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity (which was signed and ratified over a decade ago).
The spotted hyena is also in need of monitoring, and time will be spent on monitoring the home ranges and conservation status of threatened populations of spotted hyena in Swaziland, southern Africa. So far 3 spotted hyena have been radio collared and their home ranges tracked using radio telemetry. Territories and dens have been located and breeding success monitored. Some dung samples have been analysed to determine feeding patterns. Important information is emerging concerning the conservation needs of these species. Volunteers are needed to help locate new den sites, monitor territories and home range movements, monitor prey populations and collect and analyse dung samples.
volunteer travel - what's it all about?
Are you are looking for an adventurous trip with a purpose, or on a gap year or career break? If you want to make a difference in some of the world’s most important conservation areas - and in community projects - then volunteer trips are for you! Volunteers tend to have a sense of adventure, and come from a range of different backgrounds and from all over the world. Edward Abbey said 'sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul'.
how this holiday makes a difference
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Our conservation projects take place in the spreading lowveld reserves of Swaziland and in the stunning highveld reserves of Songimvelo and Malolotja in South Africa and Swaziland where important research and monitoring work is being done on threatened species including birds, an endangered cycad, raptors, bats, cycads, tortoises as well as rhino and elephant. This scientific research is critical as it is informing management decisions for the wildlife authorities who currently cannot afford to do their own research and monitoring and it is therefore assisting in the long term survival of these species in South African and Swaziland.
All our field staff are trained local residents and we work alongside our local counterparts in the parks service. These projects make a real difference to the area’s biodiversity, providing valuable information and also through working with parks staff and management we are directly involved in the conservation of these species on the ground. Our volunteers also participate in infrastructure work that helps boost ecotourism in the parks. Economic responsibility: Environmental responsibility: Social responsibility: |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |