Covid-19 Response
Health and Hygiene
For over 20 years, GVI has prioritised the health and safety of our staff, participants, partners and local community members. In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, GVI has created the GVI health and hygiene team to put in place new standards of cleanliness, norms and behaviours that meet or exceed international recommendations to ensure the ongoing safety of GVI’s participants, staff and communities around the world. Internationally recommended practices, such as advice from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the governments Australia, UK and US, continue to be monitored and the standards are likely to change if and when international advice changes.
The work GVI is contributing to across the globe remains important and the following measures allow our participants to continue to join GVI’s programs and continue impacting positively on their world and the communities we work with. The following changes to our existing protocols have been made by the GVI health and hygiene team to strengthen our health and hygiene protocols and ensure that international standard safeguards are in place to protect our participants, staff and host communities.
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Your Impact
All of our programs have short-, mid- and long-term objectives that align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). This enables us to report on our collaborative impact across the world in a streamlined manner, measuring which UN SDGs we are making a substantial contribution to. Furthermore, this will help our local partners and communities measure and visualise their contribution to the UN SDGs.
Prior to your arrival on base, you will be educated about the UN SDGs. Then once you arrive on base, you’ll learn about the specific goals we have in this particular location, our various objectives, and also clarification of how your personal, shorter-term involvement contributes to these.
Our aim is to educate you on local and global issues, so that you continue to be an active global citizen after your program, helping to fulfil our mission of building a global network of people united by their passion to make a difference.
Many of Africa’s wildlife species are under threat. Private reserves, like Karongwe, where we run our conservation project, are a haven for at-risk species. Karongwe is located within the UNESCO protected Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Reserve. This biosphere represents only 1.4% of South Africa’s land, but contains 55% of the total natural life found here.
Karongwe Private Game Reserve
Karongwe Private Game Reserve was once made up of individual farms. In 1998 the landowners banded together and created an 8,500 hectare wildlife reserve. In 2001 GVI was brought onto Karongwe to assist the Karongwe Ecological Research Institute (KERI) in their monitoring of the large predators and herbivores on the reserve. In 2006, GVI Limpopo took over this role. This helps reserve management understand the impact of predators on the prey species, and maintain a healthy ecosystem by ensuring a balance of natural resources. Predators are often tracked using telemetry, or monitored using camera trapping. Through this we learn how they use the space within the reserve, what their feeding behaviour is like, how they interact with one another and other predators. Herbivores might be counted, their numbers, age, and sex listed, and their impact on vegetation noted. This data is presented to Karongwe management and landowners on a weekly, half-yearly and yearly basis. We also assist with anti-poaching efforts by monitoring and recording the movements of individual rhino on the reserve through the use of our ID kits. Sometimes we assist with the upkeep of the reserve’s fences and roads. We also assist with removing old farm infrastructure and invasive alien plant species, and work on soil rehabilitation to help with habitat recovery.
Cheetah Research and Conservation
Our cheetah research is conducted in conjunction with the Endangered Wildlife Trust, a conservation organisation who currently manage SA’s cheetah metapopulation. Cheetahs are a species listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List Of Threatened Species. They are a rather fragile species as they naturally have a low genetic diversity and are not able to compete well with other larger, stronger predators like lions and hyenas. One aspect of our study focuses on how cheetahs make use of their kill, as well as prey preference. When possible, we set up camera traps to see how much time the cheetahs spend on their fresh kill and what potentially encourages them to leave. This helps to know how they are dealing with competition with other predators. We also collect data on breeding success and interactions with other predators.
Elephant Vegetation Impact Mitigation
With assistance from and collaboration with Elephants Alive, who have been actively involved in elephant conservation for the past 20 years, we conduct surveys of the impact elephants have on the local vegetation. Due to their destructive feeding habit of pushing over large trees to eat the top leaves and roots, a large population of elephants can have a negative impact on a small environment, especially for species like the marula tree. Surveys might involve monitoring sensitive areas of the reserve and the movements of elephant groups, developing elephant identification kits, and analysing the impact of elephants feeding habits on the vegetation. We conduct transect surveys to determine the level of destruction to tree species and their level of recovery. This can help us determine which areas and tree species on the reserve are particularly vulnerable and might benefit from mitigation measures.
Bird Research and Conservation
We also contribute to the South African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP2), one of the most important bird monitoring projects in Southern Africa –and its largest citizen science database. Because they are popular and well-studied, birds are appropriate indicators of ecosystem health. The availability of significant, long-term datasets in South Africa makes birds a good choice for an early-warning system for climate change impacts and other systematic, ecosystem-wide threats to broader biodiversity. The number of critically endangered birds in South Africa has increased from 5 in 2000 to 13 in 2017. One group in particular features particularly dramatic statistics: 22 of the 79 raptors occurring in the North-Eastern region of the country are now considered threatened. Of concern are the low numbers of scavenging raptors. Most of South Africa’s vulture species, as well as the tawny eagle and the bateleur (two obligate scavengers), are listed as endangered or critically endangered. In December 2016, SABAP2 featured 9 million records across 17,339 pentads, 5 minutes of latitude by 5 minutes of longitude, squares with sides of roughly 9 kilometres, in South Africa, Lesotho, and Eswatini. The selection of sites and habitats critical to bird conservation rely on this data. All other conservation initiatives depend on the results of the bird atlas, to a greater or lesser extent. One cannot determine the conservation status of a species unless you know its range and how this is changing.
Environmental Education
We also conduct environmental education programs at one primary school and one day care centre in the area. We make ourselves available for conservation-focused mini-projects. This might include documenting bird of prey nesting sites or the creation of lists for microfauna species in the reserve. In the past we have partnered with a range of conservation organisations like Panthera, as well as academic institutions like the University of Cape Town, the University of Pretoria, and Bournemouth University. Exact project details are also always subject to change due to weather conditions, time of year, and animal movements.
As the requirements of our partners change over time, so do the details of our projects.
The specific United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UN SDG) we work on in Limpopo is Goal 15: Life On Land.
Over the past 21 years, GVI Limpopo has:
1. Presented at over 70 land owner meetings
2. Assisted more than 1,200 children in learning about the environment and wildlife (since 2014)
3. Constructed 3 day care centres (since 2015)
4. Recruited 17 national scholarship students (since 2013)
5. Taken more than 300 learners on game drives
6. Supported over 20 partner organisations
7. Published 17 peer-reviewed papers
8. Presented at and attended 4 Endangered Wildlife Trust cheetah cluster meetings (since 2015)
9. Placed tracking devices on 25 individual animals, including cheetahs, lions, hyenas, leopards and wild dogs
10. Monitored 375 individual animals and rare game
11. Assisted with over 25 rhino dehorning events
12. Raised over £46,000
13. Hundreds of participants have passed through our doors, and many have gone on to have careers in wildlife conservation (or another aspect of the natural environment), due to the experience gained with us.
Our Partners In Limpopo
Karongwe Game Reserve Association (KGRA)
Dipuhti Primary School
Mmakadi Creche
Project Objectives
GVI Karongwe’s Long-term Objectives:
1. Provide long-term and consistent data for Karongwe Reserve management to assist reserve management in making decisions based on scientific data.
2. Increase local awareness of GVI’s purpose and impact on Karongwe PGR.
3. Increase scientific output.
4. Contribute to three large-scale reserve management projects alongside the warden in accordance with the reserve’s management plan.
5. Increase our in-country capacity by providing environmental and conservation education and training, and through community upliftment projects.
Cultural Immersion
Engaging intimately with a new context teaches global awareness, adaptability and critical thinking – skills highly valued in the modern marketplace. Local and cultural immersion is encouraged on all our programs around the world, and will also be one of the most enjoyable aspects of your experience. Luckily, there are many different activities that you can get involved in during your free time, or before and after your program.
On our community programs, the focus is on cultural topics, while on marine or wildlife programs the emphasis is more on the environmental element. Use your evenings and weekends to explore topics like local cuisine and religion, or how sustainable development challenges are affecting local contexts.
Karongwe private nature and wildlife reserve
Boasting more than 20 thousand acres of open savannah, Karongwe features some of the best wildlife viewing of any private South African wildlife reserve. It features the entire big five, including the elusive leopard.
Limpopo
The Northernmost region of South Africa and home to the Kruger National Park, the Limpopo province features some of the best opportunities for wildlife in Southern Africa. It is sparsely populated and borders Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
South Africa
Possessing one of the highest biodiversities in the world and the home to many of the most threatened African wildlife, South Africa is a nature, wildlife, and adventure lover’s paradise, featuring species like lions, cheetah, rhinos, and many other unique species.
Example Itinerary
Day 1: Welcome and orientation
On the first morning, the group will arrive in the South African province of Limpopo, known for its abundant wildlife. A GVI staff member will be waiting to take you to your overnight residence.
In the afternoon students will hop onto a safari game drive vehicle for their first drive out onto the South African savannah to spot some of the area's most iconic wildlife. After this they’ll be able to watch the sunset over the African plains.
Day 2: Service Learning
In the morning students will put their tracking skills into practice by finding out how to identify South African animals based on their appearance, as well as any paw prints or other evidence they leave behind.
The group will take part in an evening open vehicle game drive safari, with the opportunity to see some of the species that only come out after sunset.
Day 3: Service Learning
Help to engage local primary school students in protecting the local natural environment and enjoy a traditional South African braai over lunch.
Day 4: Service Learning
The group will take part in an early morning safari walk to explore the South African savannah on foot. They’ll learn how indigenous plant species are used in traditional South African cultures.
During the afternoon they’ll create educational resources for the local primary school. For dinner, there will be a feast of a traditional South African potjie dinner, cooked in the open air.
Day 5: Service Learning
Students will spend the morning taking part in research activity of the local flora and fauna species.
The afternoon will see the group hop onto an open-top vehicle for another journey into the South African savannah. You’ll potentially spot some of the ‘Big Five’ game as well as other plains species and birds. Admire the colours of an African sunset as you return to the accommodation.
Day 6: Service Learning
Start the morning fresh with a session of removing alien vegetation from the surrounding bushveld.
After lunch, the group will visit a reptile rehabilitation sanctuary to learn about the important role organisations like this play in engaging the local community in the protection of snakes and other reptiles.
Day 7: A fond farewell
On your final morning walk and early afternoon safari drive students will put their newly acquired knowledge of the South African environment to the test.
The group will then leave the South African bushveld behind, and the students will be able to share stories on their bus journey back to Johannesburg.
