The South African Wildlife Ecology Training and Research Consortium convened a strategic workshop from 4 to 6 June 2025 at the Southern African Wildlife College (SAWC) in Hoedspruit. Organised in collaboration with Michigan State University (MSU) and supported by the Alliance for African Partnership (AAP), the workshop sought to strengthen inter-institutional collaboration in field-based training and applied wildlife ecology research. The consortium comprised the SARChI Chair in Biodiversity Value and Change (University of Venda), the Faculty of Veterinary Science at Onderstepoort (University of Pretoria), the Hans Hoheisen Wildlife Research Station (HHWRS; UP), the Mammal Research Institute (MRI; UP), University of Mpumalanga (UMP), Southern African
Group photo of participants in the workshop
Leveraging SAWC’s on-the-ground training infrastructure and MSU’s academic expertise, the work-shop facilitated the co-development of practical training modules and student research projects grounded in real-world ecological challenges. Despite the critical need for hands-on field train-ing in ecology, structured collaborative opportunities remain limited. This initiative addressed that gap by promoting a consortium model focused on interdisciplinary, experiential learning.
The active participation of the DSI-NRF SARChI Research Chair in Biodiversity Value and Change, based within the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture at the Univer-sity of Venda (UNIVEN), highlighted the academic and strategic relevance of both the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve (VBR) and UNIVEN. This engagement ensured alignment with national biodiversity research priorities set by UNIVEN and the VBR. Central discus-sions focused on the co-design of curricula, joint supervision of postgraduate students, and the integration of research activities across the consortium’s partner institutions.
Looking forward, the consortium will launch field-based ecology training programmes through reciprocal exchanges between the University of Venda (UNIVEN), UP, UMP and SAWC, with MSU serving as the coordinating host. These initiatives are designed to build regional capacity, foster institutional collaboration, and equip a new gen-eration of ecologists with the skills needed to tackle pressing ecological challenges.
Issued by:
Department of Marketing, Branding and Communication
University of Venda
Tel: 082 868 2218 / 082 868 1811
