Leopard conservation in South Africa - 2 or 3 Months Advanced Volunteer Opportunity with Ingwe Research Program NPC

Ingwe Research Program is a South African Non-Profit Company previously owned by the On Track Foundation. Our purpose is to ignite a passion for conservation by empowering people in South Africa to become stewards of African wildlife and their ecosystems, with the leopard as a flagship species, through empirical research. We are collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders - game reserves & lodges, NGOs/NPOs & for profits organizations, local government, residents & tourists.

Our citizen science model involves engaging individuals in leopard monitoring, transforming data into actionable conservation efforts. By fostering a deeper connection between people and leopards, we aim to increase coexistence and ensure the long-term survival of these magnificent creatures.

Since its inception less than two years ago, IRP has achieved remarkable results. We have enrolled 30 reserves, engaged over 350 citizen scientists, and collected over 7,000 leopard images. Through advanced image analysis, we have identified over 100 individual leopards, providing crucial data for conservation management.

Your benefits

1. You become a true team member of Ingwe Research Program.

2. You play a key role in the biggest carnivore-focus citizen science project in South Africa.

3. You learn from experienced conservationists.

4. You become a professional in using AI for conservation on one of the most widely used platforms in Africa. 

5. You partake in a range of further research activities with the other volunteers (e.g. predator diet study, game counts, rhino monitoring, threatened species monitoring...)

Your responsibilities

1. Learn to use two different AI platforms – Trap Tagger and the African Carnivore Wildbook.

2. Process camera trap images from OWNR.

3. Format leopard data collected by the camera traps and from sightings. You will mainly be working on data from OWNR, Kapama Game Reserve, Raptors View Wildlife Estate, the Blue Canyon Conservancy, Makalali Game Reserve and the Kruger National Park. 

4. Process all camera traps data on Trap Tagger.

5. Do bulk imports on the African Carnivore Wildbook platform and run the AI.

6. Prepare and update ID kits.

Requirements to participate to the program:

- Two-month stay minimum

- Being enrolled in a degree in a relevant field, such as Ecology, Wildlife Biology, Conservation Science, Environmental Science, or a related discipline is an added advantage.

- Willing to learn, focused, detail-orientated and meticulous. These qualities are crucial as you will be going through intense training and be dealing with a high amount of sensitive data. 

- Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively with research team members.

- You will sign a Memorandum of Understanding that states the terms of collaboration between you, Transfrontier Africa and Ingwe Research Program.

- You will also have to sign a confidentiality clause linked to data security.

Cost

USD50 a day

Includes:

• Accommodation at Ndlovu Camp in a big 5 reserves (authentic bush experience)
• 3 meals a day suited for all dietary requirements, cooked on the open fire
• WiFi
• Participation in daily research activities and reserve management duties
• Training