NVT

04/09/2026

🌿 We’re excited to welcome Ludwe to the NVT internship programme, where he has joined us through the Baboon Project Internship Scholarship Opportunity, made possible by the Bonnie Hughes Scholarship for Applied Conservation in Primatology. 🐒

Originally from Kurland, Ludwe has a strong passion for nature and his community. He applied for this opportunity because he wants to learn more about conservation, better understand the challenges surrounding baboons, and ultimately use what he learns to contribute positively to his community.

Through the Baboon Project, Ludwe will gain valuable hands-on experience in field research, monitoring and applied conservation, working alongside a team with extensive field expertise.

But his internship won’t stop there! As part of the NVT internship programme, Ludwe will also get the opportunity to take part in activities across our different programmes — from fynbos and forests to rivers, estuaries and coastal conservation, environmental education and community-focused work.

This broader experience is an important part of the NVT internship programme. We want our interns to see that conservation is also about understanding ecosystems, working with people, building skills, creating opportunities and seeing how all these pieces connect.

We’re excited to see Ludwe grow his knowledge, gain new skills and explore the many pathways a career in conservation can offer. Most importantly, we hope he can take what he learns back into his community and become part of the next generation of local conservation leaders. 🌍💚

Welcome to the team, Ludwe! 👏🌿🐒

03/09/2026

🐞 New research: Understanding South Africa’s insects and the gaps in their conservation

📖 Read the full article: https://doi.org/10.17159/2254-8854/2026/a26856

We’re excited to share this newly published paper in African Entomology, with NVT Forest Programme Manager, Rudi Swart, among the contributing authors.

“Insect conservation in the age of biodiversity declines: an overview of South African research over the last 25 years and future considerations” brings together 25 years of research to examine what we know about insect and arthropod conservation in South Africa — and, importantly, what we still don’t know.

The review analysed 331 peer-reviewed studies published between 2000 and 2024. While research output has increased fourfold, major gaps remain. Long-term monitoring is still largely absent, geographic coverage is uneven, and very little research data are publicly accessible.

The authors highlight the urgent need for long-term monitoring networks, better data accessibility, resurveying historical sites, and stronger conservation action to understand whether South Africa’s arthropod populations are declining, stable or recovering.

This research reinforces something we see every day in conservation: you can’t protect what you don’t monitor and understand. Insects may be small, but they underpin essential ecological processes including pollination, decomposition, nutrient cycling and food webs.

Congratulations to Rudi and all the authors on this important contribution to understanding and strengthening insect conservation in South Africa! 🌿🐝🕷️

02/09/2026

Happy Spring! 🌹🌱

Spring is a season of new life, growth and renewal in nature.

To welcome the new season, the children at KuCoNa Create and Connect Centre created beautiful red roses during their creative art session.

This month, the KuCoNa Nature Club will explore spring and pollination, discovering how bees, butterflies and other pollinators help flowering plants reproduce and support healthy ecosystems.

Wishing everyone a joyful season filled with new growth, hope and possibilities!

01/09/2026

🦭 Help improve rabies prevention along the Garden Route
The rabies outbreak in Cape fur seals has highlighted the importance of understanding public awareness and preparedness in our coastal communities.

Researchers from the University of the Witwatersrand are inviting anyone who lives along the Garden Route or is occupationally or recreationally exposed to Cape fur seals to complete a short, anonymous survey.
Your participation will help identify knowledge gaps, improve public health guidance, and strengthen rabies prevention through a One Health approach. The research team also hopes to provide rabies vaccinations to eligible participants as part of the study.

📱 Scan the QR code on the poster or complete the survey here (link in bio):
https://redcap.link/jbli7maa

Please share this post with friends, family, and colleagues along the Garden Route. Every response helps build safer, healthier coastal communities.

🦭 Help improve rabies prevention along the Garden Route

The rabies outbreak in Cape fur seals has highlighted the importance of understanding public awareness and preparedness in our coastal communities.

Researchers from the University of the Witwatersrand are inviting anyone who lives along the Garden Route or is occupationally or recreationally exposed to Cape fur seals to complete a short, anonymous survey.

Your participation will help identify knowledge gaps, improve public health guidance, and strengthen rabies prevention through a One Health approach. The research team also hopes to provide rabies vaccinations to eligible participants as part of the study.

📱 Scan the QR code on the poster or complete the survey here (link in bio):
https://redcap.link/jbli7maa

Please share this post with friends, family, and colleagues along the Garden Route. Every response helps build safer, healthier coastal communities.

01/09/2026

🌊 Marking Our Rocky Shores for Long-Term Monitoring

Our rocky shores are constantly changing, and we want to better understand how these unique ecosystems respond over time. Together with South African National Parks, we are placing markers along the rocky shore to establish fixed monitoring zones and transects. These markers will allow us to return to the same locations over many years, providing a consistent basis for tracking changes in this coastal ecosystem.

📍 Through regular monitoring, we will document changes in habitat structure, species distribution and abundance, and sea-level-related changes, supported by fixed-point photography to create a visual record of changes over time.

This long-term monitoring will help us understand how rocky shore ecosystems are changing and how their communities respond to environmental pressures.

⚠️ Please leave the markers where they are and do not move, remove or disturb them. They are important reference points for our long-term monitoring and research.

🌱 A small marker today can help us tell the story of a changing coastline for years to come.

30/08/2026

LAST CALL: APPLICATIONS CLOSE TOMORROW

If you have not yet seen these positions advertised, four employment opportunities working with young people are available at the KuCoNa Create & Connect Centre through our partnership with Healthy Futures South Africa for the Basic Package of Support programme.

The positions range from a matric-level community youth role to professional roles requiring qualifications and experience in fields such as social sciences, psychology, education, youth development or child and youth care.

Please view the post below and share it with anyone who may be suitable.

Applications close at the end of the day on 31 August 2026.

FINAL REMINDER: FOUR EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AT KUCONA

Four positions are available at the KuCoNa Create & Connect Centre through our partnership with Healthy Futures South Africa for the Basic Package of Support (BPS) programme:

• BPS Site Manager
• Youth Coach Guide
• Junior Youth Coach
• Youth Mobiliser

The opportunities range from a matric-level position to roles requiring relevant qualifications and professional experience.

Apply before the end of the day on 31 August 2026.

Applications must include a cover letter, CV and certified copies of qualifications. Email these documents to [email protected].

If you would like more information, the full job descriptions can be sent directly to you. Please email [email protected] or contact Angelique Barnardo at KuCoNa on +27 61 738 4081.

Community members are also welcome to visit the KuCoNa Create & Connect Centre for more information and assistance with their applications.

Please share these opportunities with anyone who may be suitable!

27/08/2026

Growing the next generation of birders! A great afternoon at Keurbooms Lagoon with the KuCoNa Junior Bird Club, led by NVT’s Prof Hendri Coetzee.

27/08/2026

Plover season is here! 🌊

Our little beach residents are already checking out their beachfront properties and defending their space as breeding season begins. 🏖️💛

As the season progresses, we’re asking everyone to please help give these (and other) shorebirds the space they need to nest, raise their chicks and keep their little families safe.

🌿 Please stay out of the dunes.
Dunes and incipient dunes are sensitive habitats and provide important nesting and refuge areas for plovers and many other shore species.

🐕 Please adhere to all dog regulations and keep dogs under control where they are permitted on the beach, and stick to the wet waterline

🌊 Avoid walking through the dunes and incipient dunes. Giving these areas a wide berth is one of the simplest ways we can all help protect our beach-nesting birds.

These little birds have a tough life — tides, storms, predators, dogs and people all make raising a family on the beach a challenge. Let’s give them the best chance we can.

Keep to the wet line. Stay out of the dunes. Give plovers space.

27/08/2026

🌿 Our latest NVT Quarterly Newsletter is here! 🌿

Catch up on what we’ve been up to over the past few months — from conservation and research to environmental education, community engagement and all the wonderful people helping us protect Nature’s Valley and the surrounding landscape. 💚🌱

👉 Read the latest NVT Quarterly Newsletter here:
https://mailchi.mp/2b8db0721d12/nvt-2026-august-newsletter

Thank you to everyone who continues to support, participate in and champion the work of the NVT. Together, we’re making a difference. 🌿💧🐦

27/08/2026

Getting creative with our ocean theme at KuCoNa Create and Connect Centre! 🌊

During Tuesday’s after school creative session, the kids created their own underwater worlds, filled with colourful sea creatures and ocean habitats.

The activity linked into our August Nature Club theme exploring Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), combining creativity with learning about the incredible life found in our oceans and why these marine environments are worth caring for and protecting.

A lovely way to learn about nature through art, imagination and creativity! 💙