ECO WARRIORS: SA’s next generation of conservationists need laptops to turn qualifications into careers

Only one barrier stands in the way of 20 young and passionate environmentalists’ dreams of joining the ranks of South Africa’s dedicated conservationists and becoming stewards of South Africa’s diverse ecosystems.

Laptops.

The recent graduates are part of a 12-month placement programme with Nature Connect, a Cape Town-based NGO that connects people with nature, trains young people for green jobs and supports community-led conservation projects.

Each of the 20 graduates holds a conservation qualification and, through the internship, will gain access to what they need to turn that qualification into a career: a mentor who knows the sector and on-the-ground practical experience. They only lack the tools needed to do the work.

“Nature Connect is asking individuals, businesses and institutions in South Africa to donate working laptops so that every intern has one,” the organisation said in a media statement.

The need for trained conservationists in SA

South Africa is one of only 17 megadiverse countries in the world, ranking in the top 10 globally for plant species richness and third for marine species endemism. But like the rest of the world, the country’s biodiversity is deteriorating.

According to the South African National Biodiversity Institute’s (Sanbi’s) latest biodiversity assessment, 986 ecosystem types assessed in the country were under threat.

The report found that:

• More than half of all assessed species were of concern, with the most fragile being freshwater and cartilaginous species.

• Estuaries, rivers and wetlands were the most threatened and least protected, a critical concern for a water-scarce country.

• Both ecosystem (terrestrial biomes) and species (species groups) Red List Indexes showed declining trends, indicating increasing threat levels.

Speaking to Daily Maverick, Nature Connect CEO Dr Anthony Roberts said that to protect that nation’s biodiversity, South Africa needed more trained conservationists working on the ground.

“There are numerous environmental challenges we’re facing across the country, from rural to urban challenges, but at the same time, funding for conservation in the country is very low. We’re dealing with a lot of social and economic challenges in the country, but we also need to find the justification space within that to support nature conservation as well,” Roberts said.

Roberts added that interns in the programme had already done the hard work of completing their studies and finding their first job opportunities. They just need the right tools to get them past the finish line.

Nature Connect trains young conservationists

The placement programme is made possible through a decade-long partnership between the NGO and CATHSSETA (Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority). The partnership has resulted in the placement of 198 graduate interns since 2016. However, Roberts said the CATHSSETA funding mainly covered stipends, which graduates mostly used for transport.

Over the course of the year, the conservation interns will work in schools, on nature camps, in training programmes, at urban conservation sites and with partner organisations across Cape Town.

From Nature Connect’s side, buying laptops for the interns is not feasible at the moment because the expense would divert funds from the organisation’s other beneficiaries and projects.

The laptops are a necessity for the interns. Without the tools, the graduates’ work – which, in addition to fieldwork, requires computer-based research, keeping daily timesheets, writing monthly logbooks and developing a portfolio of evidence that counts towards the completion of the internship – will be hindered.

Recent graduates Cheynne Williams and Tina Msutwana are part of the 2026/27 cohort of Nature Connect’s internship programme.

“I didn’t really know what conservation is and what protecting the environment is about. I was always surrounded by buildings and growing up in the townships. Nature is something that is there, but you are not really familiar with it, what it is and why it is important for us,” said Cape Peninsula Technical University graduate Msutwana.

Msutwana added that her love for conservation and the environment grew as she went deeper into her studies.

For Williams, a University of the Western Cape graduate, her love for the environment started when she was a child and only grew as she did.

“My childhood sparked an interest that grew up with me as I went to university. When I got into university at UWC, I was like, okay, biodiversity conservation, first year, let’s do this,” Williams said.

Currently working on the sustainable schools programme, Williams and Msutwana are passionate about supporting teachers to educate learners on environmental sustainability, hoping to spark interest in future conservationists.

Roberts said the organisation was looking for working laptops with a charger, ideally less than three years old.

“Every device will be securely wiped before it is issued and recorded on the organisation’s asset register, and donors will be thanked by name where they are happy to be,” the organisation assured. DM

How to donate

Laptops can be dropped off or delivered at the following address:

Nature Connect, Unit 3B, Tokai On Main Office Park, 2 Burchell Street, Tokai,Cape Town, 7966

Get in touch with Nature Connect at: media@natureconnect.earth