Good day.
My name is Sonja Matthee.
I’m from the Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology and the question is,
why conservation ecology, hoekom bewaringsekologie?
We all know our world is in a crisis.
With the global increase in the human population, there’s ever-growing pressure on our natural resources.
We also know that recent scientific reports state that we are heading for an increase
in the global temperature.
This will result in a high incidence of extreme weather events and natural disasters, which
will further put pressure on biodiversity and the ecosystem services that they provide.
We are definitely heading for water and food crises.
South Africa is known for its biodiversity and conservation initiatives.
However, only about 8% of the land surface area is designated and set aside for conservation.
We need to increase our conservation footprint as much as possible.
Yes, there are various initiatives and we can adopt various practices, and some of them
have been listed in the Action Plan.
Firstly is to expand protected areas, then to increase biodiversity monitoring, and also
identifying priority areas where conservation should take place, but this is not enough.
We need to adopt and promote conservation-friendly practices in our daily lives and that is why
the motto of the Department is conservation in utilised landscapes, bewaring in benutte gebiede.
Let’s look at the Conservation Ecology programme.
The programme started in 2002 in the then Faculty of Forestry and it was presented as
part of a BSc in Forestry with Conservation Ecology.
However, in recent years the need increased and the demand for conservation practitioners
increased to the extent that conservation ecology is presented as an independent programme
within the Faculty of AgriSciences.
We cap our first-year student intake at 40 students so that we sit with an average of
about 160 students in the Department every year.
The Department as well as the programme are managed by a diverse and dynamic team
of academic researchers, as well as industry-funded research associates.
Our strength lies in the fact that each of us are passionate about our individual research themes,
as well as committed to providing quality teaching and training for our graduates.
Several of our academics and research associates receive rewards annually, both locally as
well as internationally, for research excellence in their conservation-related fields.
Our strength lies in the fact that research excellence forms the basis of quality teaching and training.
Let me tell you about the course content.
This is a four-year degree.
When you come to university, you will sit in class with students from various programmes,
for example animal science as well as biodiversity and ecology.
It’s a generic year where you’ll be receiving training in modules such as chemistry, biology,
geo-environmental science, computer skills and mathematics.
From the second year onwards the proportion of conservation-related modules that you will
take will increase progressively and there will be more and more fieldwork taking place
during the practical periods.
At third year you will also be allowed to select between different modules, for example
biodiversity and ecology, geographic information technology, and also soil science.
The fourth year is the most interesting and fun year.
This is the time when students become more specialised due to selecting subjects that’s
more in line with their interest.
It’s also an academically challenging year because you not only have to pass these modules,
but you also have to conduct a mini research project that has to be written up as a dissertation
at the end of the year.
The fourth year is at the same NQF level as a BSc honours degree.
This means that our students can go directly into an MSc, a Master of Science degree.
This is different if you would do a BSc Conservation, a BSc in Biodiversity and Ecology.
That’s a three-year degree and you would need to separately apply for a BSc honours degree.
Several of our students carry on doing a master’s after graduating, however, there’s also
students that go directly into the workplace.
And then there have been students that took on other programmes, such as studying law
or even journalism, but I will get to this a bit later.
There are two programmes at Stellenbosch University that’s got botany and zoology.
The first is Biodiversity and Ecology that is offered in the Science Faculty.
This is a three-year degree.
This will provide you with a strong basis of botany- and zoology-related subjects, very
foundational, in-depth studies.
In our programme, Conservation Ecology, this is as I mentioned a four-year degree.
It’s a professional degree.
We also provide our students with strong foundations in botany and zoology in addition to adding
additional service modules.
The information that you gain is then used in a more practical orientation,
solving real problems, and it’s very systems orientated.
I see the Department and the programme as conservation in action where you use the knowledge
in a more applied manner to solve real-lie problems.
Where is a conservation ecologist ending up, what systems?
Well, I’ve mentioned to you that our motto is conservation in utilised landscapes and
our students work in any or various human-related systems,
for example agriculture, forestry, and even reserves.
Some students would work more with people and communities where they would guide farmers
into more sustainable farming practices, or other students would work more directly with
plants and animals, monitoring or doing research on them.
It very much depends on your interests and your passion.
But at the end of the day our students focus on mitigating the effect of humans on the environment.
Remember that I mentioned to you law and journalism.
These are interesting niche areas.
If you combine your conservation ecology with a degree in law, journalism, or even engineering,
you can practice environmental law and you can write about environmental-related issues
in newspapers and magazines, and also with engineering combination you can maybe work
in renewable energy.
Just giving you some examples of systems or setups where our students are working in.
Firstly, if you have a large natural area and you want to develop on it, so either setting
it out for housing development or renewable energy or even a road, you need to conduct
an environmental impact assessment.
This is where our students come into play.
We guide them and train them during the fourth year with regard to the methods and the procedures
that are important and relevant to conduct these EIAs.
Another important area where our students work in is restoration ecology, working for
mines, NGOs, or conservation-related organisations, basically restoring transformed habitats.
Maybe it was transformed due to mining or clearing of alien invasives or farming practices.
Our students would then go out and actively implement measures to restore it to its natural state.
Students carrying on with master’s and specialising also often end up as field ecologists at large
private and also national nature reserves.
Students also work as researchers at various institutions, either universities or technical
universities, or even in the private sector.
If you specialise in entomology you can work as a technical advisor in integrated pest management.
This can be done either in a private capacity as a consultant or working for a large fruit-producing company.
Then lastly, the rural communities are often very dependent and more directly dependent on natural resources.
Environmental officers train and guide these communities with regard to sustainable practices that’s
to the benefit of the environment and also the communities that depend on these natural resources.
A unique system about our Department and the programme is that we have got strong associations with industry.
I’ve mentioned to you that we’ve got industry-funded research associates that work
in the Department and that have got active research projects.
But other staff members also work with industry partners in terms of developing research projects
that address industry-related problems.
These industry partners often provide funding for the project itself and also sometimes
bursaries for the students to conduct the research.
If the project is good and also if the student is a good student and there’s work opportunities,
then these students end up working for these companies.
It’s a win-win situation for the industry, but also for our graduates and the university.
Where are our alumni?
We keep track of our alumni through a designated Facebook page.
This is an exclusive for our graduates and we on a monthly basis post information with
regard to job opportunities, funding, as well as research opportunities.
This slide basically shows you some examples of companies and organisations and also the
type of positions that our students have been occupying and are currently occupying.
Some of them working for governmental organisations like SANBI or private nature reserves like
Sabi Sands, but also working for NGOs and at universities and other academic and research institutions.
Now I’d like to play four short video clips with regard to our undergraduate perspective.
Hello, my name is Kgomotso Morake and I am studying conservation.
I’m from Johannesburg.
I started studying conservation because I’ve always loved nature and I never thought that
I would find or get the opportunity to work with it.
When I found out about conservation ecology, I jumped at the first opportunity and I love it!
How’s it, everyone? My name’s Kegan Stubbs.
I grew up on a farm in the eastern highlands of Zimbabwe.
I chose the conservation ecology course because of the fourth-year honours inclusive.
I didn’t really feel like applying after third year for another honours year and I
really am looking forward to the project that I’ll be doing next year.
What I really enjoy about conservation ecology is the practical aspect, getting out into the field,
working with nature, being able to get out of the classroom and get that practical experience.
I’m really enjoying it so far. Thanks.
Goeiedag. My naam is Dàricia Engelbrecht. Ek is van Paarl.
Die gedeelte wat ek van hou van bewaringsekologie die program is
dat ons baie veldwerk het en ons kan in die natuur in werk
en ook die inhoud van die program is baie relevant
tot die volhoubaarheidskrisisse wat ons vandag in ons tyd het. Dankie.
Hi, I’m Elissa from Brackenfell and I’m studying conservation ecology.
The course content of the modules that you get from your second year onwards
are super interesting and now obviously third year.
Your first year is very basic and general,but then you still have time to see where your interest really lies.
The fieldwork in the course is also super interesting.
You learn every day something new and that’s the fun of it. Thank you.
Please contact us if you want to save the planet, if you’re passionate about nature,
and you want to make a difference, but other general research enquiries are also most welcome.
Thank you very much. Baie dankie. Enkosi.