Nurturing Nature to Have a Nurturing Future

Since I was in high school, I always had a passion for science, specifically environmental science. However, I did not know what path to take in order to achieve my goal of becoming an Environmental Scientist. Later on, I found exactly what I was looking for. Today, I hold a Bachelor degree in Environmental Biology (Honours) from the University of Namibia. Throughout my studies, I came to learn about conservation of biological diversity. I then came to CCF as an Ecology intern, which was a dream come true. This is where I finally began to understand the relevance of some of the ecological field techniques that we were taught in school. As an emerging ecologist, I spent time observing the intraspecific and interspecific interactions of animals in the reserve via direct observation and camera traps. I also studied how they interact with their environment: vigilance, predation, territoriality and more.

Talking of predators, these animals are often viewed as nothing but a disturbance, when they actually have a critical role to play as part of the ecosystem by keeping the prey population under control. Conducting animal surveys and monitoring animal movements, population and habitat utilization are some of the activities that are carried out by ecologists here at CCF. These are not just fun to do, but more importantly, they collect data essential for wildlife research and conservation. Work at CCF is especially important in the case of endangered species such as cheetahs and rhinos.

Weather monitoring is another activity we conduct. As a climate advocate, observing the unpredictability of weather events makes me concerned about the adaptability and survival chances of both flora and fauna. On that note, conservation efforts need to be made to reduce loss of biodiversity thereby increasing the material and economic benefits, and scenic beauty of Namibia.

Finally, as an intern at CCF, I got to join the field of animal conservation to be specific. It was great working with intellectual scientists who are passionate about wildlife conservation and ensuring sustainable management of natural resources. I am also privileged to be part of a project that aims to combat Human-Wildlife conflict in the Horn of Africa (Somaliland).