Groen Sebenza's at SANBI
21 July 2014 - 1:33pm — anonymous spotterSANBI is currently running the
Groen Sebenza Programme for developing young conservation practitioners across South Africa.
This programme is being implemented in partnership with 32 different conservation organisations who are providing placements for a total of 800 young graduates or matriculants.
Funding for this programme comes from National Treasury’s Jobs Fund, and is being channelled into the Conservation Sector by the Development Bank of South Africa.
The Custodians of Rare and Endangered Wildflowers (CREW) Programme, jointly implemented by the Botanical Society of South Africa (BotSoc) and SANBI has organised for fifteen Groen Sebenza Pioneers to take part in monitoring biodiversity in rural areas.
Groen Sebenza Pioneers working with CREW are recruited from rural communities to help conduct taxonomic and ecological research in the areas that they live in. CREW’s para-ecologists are working to collect specimens of plants and invertebrates in their respective areas.
Groen Sebenza Pioneers are also conducting surveys linked to traditional use of plants and animals within their communities and some of their iSpot posting may include information relating to traditional knowledge.
The CREW Groen Sebenza Project begun in April 2013, with the pioneers trained to use iSpot in June 2014, supported by the BotSoc, the project will continue until November 2015.
Para-ecologists are based in three focal areas, the former Ciskei region of the Eastern Cape, the Pondoland region of the Eastern Cape and rural towns in the Northern and Western Cape Town (e.g. Mamre, Nieuwoudtville and Worcester).
In order to help them learn their local biodiversity and also as part of their monitoring work they will be posting on iSpot. Look for the Groen Sebenza Badge.
Your support to help these young South African’s develop biodiversity knowledge would be greatly appreciated.