Giraffe Conservation Foundation
Giraffe and Black Rhino in Namibia
Zoo and Wildlife Conservation partners with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) in Namibia. This conservation initiative is a long-term ecological monitoring effort on the desert-dwelling Angolan giraffe in north-western Namibia. GCF works closely with communal conservancies in order to better understand their ecology in this harsh landscape. The invaluable data obtained from this work is fed back to local communities and communal conservancies as well as into the IUCN RedList assessment of Angolan giraffe. The study area covers a total area of approx. 30,000km2 that is ecologically linked as wildlife roams throughout the area. The riparian woodlands of the catchment areas are the main source of life for all larger mammals of the region, from wildlife to domestic stock, as well as humans. Namibia’s northwest is one of the last remaining wildernesses on the continent and home to a plethora of desert-adapted wildlife including African savanna elephant, black rhino, African lion, leopard, cheetah, Hartmann's mountain zebra, oryx, springbok, and of course, Angolan giraffe.
Conservation Scholarships
Investigation of habitat and resource use of Angolan giraffe in Etosha Heights
Student(s) will undertake field-based monitoring of individual giraffe combined with use of a multi-year GPS telemetry dataset from >15 Angolan giraffe in association with habitat classifications and digital elevation models to evaluate seasonal resource/space use. Incorporating elevation, soil type, habitat classifications, and more, may be an important consideration for the project. Students will gain experience in analyses of animal movement data, home range estimators, resource selection functions, and remote sensing techniques. All findings will be communicated to the conservation managers to identify key habitat features for giraffe.
Population inventory and habitat utilisation of black rhino on the Etosha Heights Private Reserve
Field surveys including direct observation of black rhinos combined with the use of a network of camera traps across waterholes on the reserve will enable the student(s) to better evaluate their population dynamics. Combined with habitat data, the student(s) will assess resource needs and habitat preferences to guide conservation actions and long-term monitoring
Keeper Conservation Expeditions
Participation in Either of Our Projects as a Research Assistant
Join the Giraffe Conservation Foundation field team and our conservation scholars on this study in Namibia for 2 weeks.
Please Note: These expeditions are only possible is the core research project receives funding.
Costs
£13,500 for 1 UK (4-6 weeks field work) and 1 Namibian Student for 1 year fieldwork
Costs
£13,5000 for 1 UK (4-6 weeks field work) and 1 Namibian Student for 1 year fieldwork
Costs
£2800 per Keeper for 2 Weeks
Air flight costs from the UK are NOT included.