African Wildlife Photography And Conservation Detail

African Wildlife Photography And Conservation

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This project is ideally situated on the fringes of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park in St Lucia, a beautiful area that was declared as South Africa’s first Natural World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and which is called by many “Africa’s premier bush-and-beach destination”. Encompassing almost half a million acres, it is a stunning and ecologically diverse area, where five different eco-systems join, and where you find savannahs, wetlands, swamps, beaches, and a great wealth of  wildlife. The area is home to the Zulu tribe, a group of people with a very lively and colourful culture. It is within this impressive setting that we offer you the opportunity to improve your photography skills, to photograph the phenomenal wildlife in the area, and to help raise awareness in the local community about the importance of conservation.

The project will run for 4 weeks and begins on the following dates in 2010:
10th January | 7th February | 7th March | 4th April | 2nd May | 30th May | 27th June | 25th July | 22nd August | 19th September | 17th October | 14th November

The start dates for 2011 are as follows:
9th January / 6th February / 6th March / 3rd April / 1st May / 29th May / 26th June / 24th July / 21st August / 19th September / 16th October / 13th November 2011

This project has a number of long-term aims to raise awareness and help preserve the precious African environment:

 
1) CREATING A PHOTOGRAPHIC DATABASE

In association with the Green Vision Foundation, African Impact aims to create a complete photographic database, and use it for educational purposes. The aim is to document and preserve iSimangaliso as a key heritage site of Southern Africa. As a volunteer you will contribute to this goal by taking photos of the different species of flora and fauna, some of the 526 species of birds that exist in the Wetlands area, local conservation issues, and the unique eco-systems of the area. On this project we provide a varied programme of bush walks and game drives in order to maximise photo opportunities.

Alongside the Green Vision Foundation, African Impact has also identified that in order to preserve indigenous plant life and wildlife, it is essential to get local communities involved. What is lacking in current educational syllabi is a detailed photographic database of the wildlife in the St. Lucia area. As a volunteer, your photographs will be put towards a database of wildlife, landscapes and environmental issues to help educate local schools about nature and the precious environment that surrounds them.

This project is a unique opportunity to encounter some of Africa’s most beautiful animals on a daily basis, to improve your photography skills, as well as to contribute to conservation efforts.

2) PHOTOGRAPH OF THE MONTH / YEAR

Every month, a jury of professional wildlife photographers will review all the volunteers’ best photographs and select the best picture. The winner of the Photograph of the Month will be framed and put on our picture wall in the volunteer house. In addition, it will be put on the African Impact website. At the end of each year the same jury will select a picture of the year with a prize given to the winning photographer.

3) COMMUNITY AND MEDICAL PROJECT DATABASE

To track progress of the fantastic community work volunteers on our education and medical projects are doing, you will sometimes be given the opportunity to join other projects for half a day to capture images of the volunteers at work. This provides a good opportunity to practice different types of photography techniques and helps us keep a visual database of progress on our projects in the surrounding communities. You can of course also join in playing with the children or painting a building!

4) CONSERVATION EDUCATION AND ACTIVITIES

In partnership with the local village chief (Induna) and the National Parks, volunteers will be assisting in a number of exciting conservation initiatives in surrounding areas:

a) Conservation Education in Schools – As a volunteer, you will visit the local high school each week and deliver a class / workshop about the reason for, and methods of conservation to the children in the after school Conservation Club. You will also, along with a conservation education syllabus, use our photography database to do this.

b) Conservation Field Trips - In addition, you may take local school children into the bush on field trips. By experiencing the World Heritage Site and its wildlife for themselves, the children will learn to appreciate the area they live in, and get a better understanding of why these efforts are being made. It will also provide them with a fun and relaxing day out; something they don’t experience often!

c) Conservation in Action – Volunteers To enhance awareness of UNESCO’s objectives and methods, as well as conservational efforts in general, it is vital to involve and educate St. Lucia’s local community. Volunteers will be involved in a number of activities such as regeneration of the local village back to its natural state, planting of indigenous trees, clearing the pan (natural pond) to encourage indigenous species back to their original habitat and assisting with the local conservation efforts at the nearby crocodile centre.

Environmental Awareness, Wildlife Photography Course & Wildlife Safari, St. Lucia Wetland Park