I dreamed of Africa: Ecovolunteering in Kwazulu Natal

In 2012 I joined a two-week volunteer program in Africa. On January 20th, I arrived in Kwazalu Natal, South Africa, to work in the Thanda Reserve, a previous hunting reserve that is now dedicated to ecotourism and research.

As an ecovolunteer, I was expected to assist with photo identification of elephants, rhinos and lions, to assess availability of prey items in the reserve, to collect ethological (behavioral) data, and a myriad of other conservation-related activities including weeding exotic species and picking trash from the roads. Those were two intense weeks, with deep discussions on African conservation challenges such as illegal poaching, human-wildlife conflicts, and animal trafficking.

Africa was both inspiring and daunting. I was happy to be there, to see and to photograph all the amazing wildlife around me. But I also began to gasp the complexity of the human dimensions of conservation.