African Conservation & Training Association

“Proactive Programmes for People & Conservation”

News

ACTA is creating partnerships and communication between conservators, professionals, donors and interested parties.  Soon this website shall host a chat room and a bulletin board for postings of information.  ACTA wishes to see a spread of existing and new conservation knowledge throughout Africa, linking together those with resources, programmes requiring implementation and demonstrated conservation and community needs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part and parcel of these linkages, ACTA provides training, consulting advice and professional services to the conservation sphere in sub-Saharan Africa.  ACTA are well placed to link together local knowledge and experience with professional services and donor programmes to better serve conservation and community development needs.      

 

Major Clients 2004 — present

SANParks—Table Mountain National Park, South Africa                                                                         (2004—present)

ACTA have, for the second time been appointed as full-time training providers of the Hoerikwaggo Hiking Guides of South African National Parks — Table Mountain National Park.

The Hoerikwaggo Guides are the field guide centrepiece of the Hoerikwaggo Trail - a world class series of hiking trails that stretch more than 100 km from Cape Town to Cape Point through the remarkable and floristically unique Cape Floristic Region.

The guides are trained in all aspects of safety, leadership and field skills to emerge as confident and professional representatives of the one of the world’s most floristically diverse protected areas.

ACTA conducted all selection programmes for potential guides and has trained the nature components to all three intakes of guides to date.  The last two intakes have been solely trained by ACTA.

Link: http://www.hoerikwaggotrails.co.za

Botanical Society of South Africa             (2006—present)

Development of an outdoor education programme for the learners of disadvantaged areas of Cape Town.  ACTA have put together a unique programme of outdoor educational experiences, linking together the following institutions:

· The Table Mountain National Park overnight ‘People’s Trail’

· The Schools Environmental Education Project—a volunteer based leadership programme

· The Zeekovlei Environmental Education Programme (False Bay Ecology Park)

· South African National Biodiversity Institute—schools programme 

 

 

 

 

 

Northern Tour — University of Queensland, Australia                                                                (July/August 2007)

Ex-Director of ACTA, Leif Petersen was Academic Leader for a group of 18 Masters, Postgraduate Diploma and Final Year Undergraduate students of University of Queensland Environmental management courses in a 22 day, 8,000 km journey of Queensland, Australia.

The expedition included a full contingent of environmental management experiences, field visits and academically rigorous debate, presentations and assessments.

Link: http://www.uq.edu.au

 

 

 

Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism                             (August — December 2007)

ACTA, in conjunction with Sustainable Livelihood Consultants are conducting an economic study of informal businesses of the Cape Flats area, Cape Town.  The study has investigated informal business and human livelihoods in the context of emerging economies of the area.

It is intended to further this study into economic usage of indigenous plant and animal resources by local people, and the calculating the value of such resources in subsistence economies.

Southern African Wildlife College                                                                                   (January 2000 — present)

Ex-Director of ACTA, Leif Petersen has instructed Resource Economics for the Diploma students of the Southern African Wildlife College in for seven years.  In addition he has trained various short courses for the College in conjunction with the Table Mountain Fund, WWF-SA and the Peace Parks Foundation

http://www.wildlifecollege.co.za

Bird Guide Training Courses: Beaufort West and Phillipi, Western Cape, South Africa                 (April—May 2007)

Training in conjunction with Empower-Ed, ACTA instructed basic bird guiding courses with more than 30 people, to NQF Level 2 standard.

Those graduating from this course were legally qualified to guide birdwatchers in their respective local areas.  Course content included: bird identification, best practice guiding and communication skills

Zimbabwe Beekeeping Programme                         (2005)

Throughout 2005 ACTA trained a basic apiculture course in Gonerazhou National Park, Zimbabwe with support funding from Rufford Small Grants, a United Kingdom based conservation funding group

Beekeeping was  highlighted by our regional partner, Mr Stephen Midzi; as a potential income generating activity for local communities surrounding Zimbabwe’s Gonerazhou National Park, an area of high food insecurity.  In addition, current harvesting of wild honey in the National Park has led to damage of the Gonerazhou woodland habitats through associated human impacts and fire.  Mr Midzi and Mr Roger de Jager led the live-in extension exercise over a six week intensive period, with various follow up visits.  ACTA assisted the Mahenye community in establishment, development and management of beehives, and the training of apicultural practice to community members.  

Botswana—Jwana Game Park Community Management Plan (2004/2005)

ACTA was commissioned by the Debswana Diamond Company of Botswana to investigate management options for the 19,000 ha Jwana Game Park, land which surrounds the Jwaneng Diamond Mine, 2 hours drive west of the capital, Gaberone.  

 

African Wire art initiative — Cape Town  (2004 — present)

ACTA are working with a series of South African and Zimbabwean Crafters in a small export business retailing the African Wire Art genre in Australia.  This project keeps three Zimbabwean craftsmen in full time business and supports their artistic endeavour.

 

Learners and Guides on the Hoerikwaggo Trail, Table Mountain National Park