Hailing from seven African countries, the graduates received their higher and advanced certificates in Natural Resource Management at the SAWC campus in the Greater Kruger National Park on November 27.

The college, founded in 1996, has been offering wildlife area management qualifications for 22 years. This year the countries represented by the graduates included Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, eSwatini and Zambia.

“There is a growing realisation that conservation must integrate people. Conservation in South Africa, and across the world for that matter, cannot be sustainable if it does not consider the needs and aspirations of communities.

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This principle has been articulated for years in global conventions, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, which advocates fair and equitable access to benefits arising from biodiversity. For me this means we have to work with communities as shareholders in conservation, not just stakeholders,” said Fundisile Mketeni, SANParks CEO and chairman of the SAWC Board.

“In congratulating our students, we acknowledge their hard work and dedication and are confident that they will take the innovative, inclusive approaches to conservation back to their countries, helping to create opportunities for people to secure their livelihoods while valuing their resources.” said college CEO, Theresa Sowry.

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The college’s role in developing critical management capacity for protected areas within the South Africa Development Community (SADC) region through a new era of inclusive conservation leadership, was a common theme for all the guest speakers.

“Communities are an integral part of the conservation landscape. We need to build constituencies of conservationists,” said guest of honour, Xolani Nicholas Funda, Kruger’s Chief Ranger.

He was present for the occasion along with members of the college board, key donors, supporters and partners of the SAWC, including representatives of WWF South Africa, Peace Parks Foundation, and the Southern African Wildlife College Trust.

During the ceremony, eight students were awarded for their resilience and the hard work shown throughout the year.