ECO WARRIORS: SA’s next generation of conservationists need laptops to turn qualifications into careers

Twenty young environmentalists are nearing the finish line to becoming the next generation in charge of protecting and restoring South Africa’s rich natural heritage. The only thing standing in their way is access to 20 laptops.

Only one barrier stands in the way of 20 young and passionate environmentalists’ dreams of joining the ranks of South Africa’s dedicated conservationists and becoming stewards of South Africa’s diverse ecosystems.

The recent graduates are part of a 12-month placement programme with Nature Connect, a Cape Town-based NGO that connects people with nature, trains young people for green jobs and supports community-led conservation projects.

Each of the 20 graduates holds a conservation qualification and, through the internship, will gain access to what they need to turn that qualification into a career: a mentor who knows the sector and on-the-ground practical experience. They only lack the tools needed to do the work.

“Nature Connect is asking individuals, businesses and institutions in South Africa to donate working laptops so that every intern has one,” the organisation said in a media statement.

South Africa is one of only 17 megadiverse countries in the world, ranking in the top 10 globally for plant species richness and third for marine species endemism. But like the rest of the world, the country’s biodiversity is deteriorating.

According to the South African National Biodiversity Institute’s (Sanbi’s) latest biodiversity assessment, 986 ecosystem types assessed in the country were under threat.

More than half of all assessed species were of concern, with the most fragile being freshwater and cartilaginous species.

Estuaries, rivers and wetlands were the most threatened and least protected, a critical concern for a water-scarce country.

Both ecosystem (terrestrial biomes) and species (species groups) Red List Indexes showed declining trends, indicating increasing threat levels.

Speaking to Daily Maverick, Nature Connect CEO Dr Anthony Roberts said that to protect that nation’s biodiversity, South Africa needed more trained conservationists working on the ground.

“There are numerous environmental challenges we’re facing across the country, from rural to urban challenges, but at the same time, funding for conservation in the country is very low. We’re dealing with a lot of social and economic challenges in the country, but we also need to find the justification space within that to support nature conservation as well,” Roberts said.

Roberts added that interns in the programme had already done the hard work of completing their studies and finding their first job opportunities. They just need the right tools to get them past the finish line.

The placement programme is made possible through a decade-long partnership between the NGO and CATHSSETA (Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority). The partnership has resulted in the placement of 198 graduate interns since 2016. However, Roberts said the CATHSSETA funding mainly covered stipends, which graduates mostly used for transport.