Environmental education is vital to Cheetah Conservation Fund’s mission. CCF’s research show that public education will help ensure a future for the species in the wild. The development of national pride and international concern for the cheetah are critical to the species survival. In order to reach the widest audience possible, CCF educates farmers, teachers, and the public about methods to conserve biodiversity. Special emphasis is placed on the role of the cheetah and other predators in healthy ecosystems.

CCF’s Research Conservation and Education Centre

In central Namibia, CCF operates a Field Research and Education Centre to conduct formal and informal environmental education programs. The Center is open to the public daily and offers educational activities, programs for visiting school groups, and training for Namibian and university students from around the world.

CCF’s Education Teams

Work within the communities in Namibia and Somaliland to present conservation-focused environmental education programming. Since 2000, tens of thousands of students have participated in courses at CCF’s Research and Education Centre in Namibia. In 2023, CCF’s educational materials were recreated and translated for use in outreach programming to schools in Somaliland. In addition to school groups, specially designed programs are offered for: regional youth groups, youth officials, teachers, health officials and farmers.

School Outreach Programs

Along with environmental educational activities conducted at CCF’s Centre, CCF’s Education Team presents outreach programs at schools and community events throughout Namibia and Somaliland. Since 1994, hundreds of thousands of students have participated in our conservation-focused educational outreach.

Farmer Training And Community Outreach

The majority of cheetahs live outside of protected lands and come into conflict with people raising livestock. To help mitigate human-wildlife conflict, CCF conducts an environmental education program for the farming and pastoralist communities. CCF makes presentations at villages and communities, speaking at farmers’ association meetings and agricultural shows to highlight cheetah behavioral characteristics and predator-friendly livestock management techniques.

Select farmer training courses offered by CCF:

• Cattle husbandry
• Herd and veld management
• Disease and vaccination programs
• Business principles and inventorying conservancy resources
• Other topics include basic conservation training on sustainable wildlife utilization and the role and value of predators, predator kill identification and other ‘predator-friendly’ farming practices.

Thousands of participants have undergone training at CCF’s Center. Several training courses are conducted each year.

International Training Courses

The next generation of African conservation managers must be equipped with the best training available. CCF hosts education and conservation biology courses for wildlife professionals.
Hundreds of participants have completed courses on subjects such as:

• Natural resource management
• Environmental education
• Conservation biology
• Game capture
• Integrated wildlife management
• livestock and predator management