SOUTH AFRICA GENERAL SURVEYOR PROJECTS

The large-scale survey programmes running in the Kruger Park and in KZN need a lot of survey effort to complete and teams of General Surveyors provide much needed manpower. General Surveyor groups will spend one week in either Kruger or KZN, and a second week in either Sodwana Bay in South Africa (just below the Mozambique border) or (for a limited number) at a camp in southern Mozambique, learning to dive or taking part in a reef ecology course.

The first week of the school's itinerary is divided into 3 days of bush training and 3 days of bird, habitat, and large game surveys. The bush training elements will include lectures and field practicals each day covering walking and working safely in the bush, an introduction to dangerous animals, tracking and interpretation of spoor, and the principles of survival in the bush. After this, the groups will spend 3 days assisting with collecting data on bird and mammal distributions, and on habitat structure throughout the survey areas. Each day half of the time will be spent in the field with the other half in the camp completing lectures and guided discussions on game reserve management, covering issues such as population control, poaching and CITES, and the pros and cons of various management interventions such as fencing and fire management.
For the second week the group will go to either Sodwana Bay in northern KwaZulu Natal, or Malongane in Southern Mozambique. If they choose Sodwana Bay then they will have the following options:


· Dive training to PADI Open Water level
· Reef Ecology course (this is for already qualified divers or those who want to snorkel only)

Alternatively if they choose the Malongane Marine Research Centre then all students can combine learning to dive to PADI Open Water level with marine biology lectures and research dives at the end of the week. This option though requires the school to complete the PADI Open Water theory either from an online training course, or by booking a Dive Instructor to visit the school and train the students in the theory and confined water training before they come out. These options mean that when the group are on site they can complete the Open Water dives to gain their qualification in a shorter time and spend the rest of their time learning about marine biology and trying out the survey techniques being used on the reefs of southern Mozambique.