Internship Abroad Botswana: Okavango Delta Wildlife Conservation
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Get trained as a certified Field Guide, surrounded by the Okavango Delta's breathtaking nature
This overseas internship is training, adventure and nature experience all in one, in a nature conservation programme that will give you an insight into the breathtaking nature of Botswana and provide you with valuable nature conservation experience. During the two month course, you will receive in-depth information about the main nature conservation issues and wildlife management in Africa. Moreover, you will acquire extensive knowledge out in the field, in collaboration with the Okavango Research Institute of the University of Botswana (ORI).
Highlights
- Be part of a fascinating conservation internship in Botswana
- Live in the midst of the breathtaking Okavango Delta
- Gain knowledge in implementing essential research methods
- Meet people from all over the world
- Get the chance to enjoy unforgettable wildlife sightings
- Experience the spectacular flora and fauna of the Okavango Delta
Locations
Okavango Delta
Your conservation internship in Africa
As part of this two-month internship in northwest Botswana you deal with theoretical and practical aspects of nature and wildlife conservation in the region and acquire important knowledge in implementing essential research methods.
Arrival and orientation in Botswana
Your work placement will begin and end in Maun. You will land in Johannesburg first and continue from there. You will be picked up at the arranged time from Maun Airport and taken to the camp. The same goes for departure. It is advisable to contact us before booking your flights, so that we can discuss your travel plans together. We would be pleased to help you. In Maun there will be an introduction meeting where all participants will get an overview of the course structure and possible research topics. On the third day after your arrival all participants will travel to the research-camp which is located in the midst of Okavango Delta.
Internship description
This placement has been especially conceived, in conjunction with the Okavango Research Institute of the University of Botswana (ORI), to equip students from a variety of disciplines for working on nature conservation projects. The aim is to introduce future nature conservationists to standard research techniques from data collection and analysis to field research and environmental management. During the course, the emphasis will be on the two important work areas “Human-Wildlife Conflict” and “Biodiversity Monitoring”. Biodiversity monitoring purposes the monitoring and surveillance of species and population dynamics in ecosystems. It provides an essential tool to adaptive management that enables perturbations to be measured in space and time and reviews the effectiveness of different conservation measures.
Thus biodiversity monitoring contributes to urban and conservation planning processes. The Human-Wildlife Conflict Project is an important research area forming part of your work experience. In conjunction with the Okavango Research Institute of the University of Botswana, it attempts to identify conflicts between man and wildlife and to develop concepts for measures to prevent such conflicts in the future. Using development aid, training courses and educational schemes the project helps the farmers and local people to build protective walls, makes other water-holes for the animals away from the settlements and shows the people how they can live in harmony with wildlife.
Accommodation in Botswana
On arrival into Maun, Botswana, students will stay at a gated campsite in twin dome tents on cots. There are male and female communal bathrooms with basins, showers and toilets. A communal kitchen and dining area are situated within the campsite. Meals will be prepared together with other students in the camp. Food for three meals each day will be provided. After their first week in Maun all participants will move to the research-camps which are located in and around the Okavango Delta. Students stay in twin dome tents on cots and have male/female pit-toilets and bucket shower facilities. Meals are prepared by an in-house cook in an open communal tent dining area.
Leisure time during your internship
Most evenings and at the weekends you will have sufficient time to take care of personal matters or to sit round the camp fire with the others. During the two months, two excursions are planned: a safari along the Linyanti River and a three-day excursion to the fantastically beautiful Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. In Chobe National Park you can also travel down river in a boat.
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1. Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta in Botswana is without doubt one of the most spectacular natural sites in Southern Africa, if not in the entire world. Covering more than 20,000 km², the fertile oasis in the northwestern part of the country is the largest inland delta of our planet. The mighty UNESCO World Heritage Site is fed by the Okavango River, which once a year floods down from the highlands of Angola into an endless labyrinth of river courses, islands and lagoons. With a visit to the Delta, one of the last natural paradises on earth awaits you, whose awe-inspiring biodiversity will amaze every visitor.
Background of your conservation internship
Participants of this internship will be instructed in the theoretical and practical aspects of nature conservation and animal protection in Africa, which will be illustrated in extensive case studies, numerous practical applications, excursions and discussions with all parties involved. As an intern will acquire new skills regarding nature conservation and wildlife management and dedicate themselves to own research projects for one and a half months. Later on they will present their results to other participants of the course. During the course of your placement you will find yourself in different parts of the Chobe region and the Okavango Delta in the north of Botswana, where you will be able to apply your newly acquired skills and theoretical basic principles in the wild. Your placement will take you through a rapid succession of constantly changing landscapes. Due to its fascinating biodiversity Botswana is the epitome of untouched and wild nature.
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