Top 5 ways you can make a difference as a Nature Guide to help with Wildlife Conservation
Are Nature Guides good for Conservation?
One of the many questions we get asked at Bhejane Nature Training, is does being a really FGASA Nature Guide really help with wildlife conservation?
Here are the top 5 ways you can make a difference as a nature guide.
Guides are Dreamweavers
One experience at a time opening a door to new realms, new worlds and new ways of experiencing the natural world.
When we change the way we look at the world, the world starts to change dramatically. Almost everyone that loves nature has seen a David Attenborough documentary. His narration brings so much magic, insight and depth to the film. Can you imagine what that documentary would be like without his narration? Guides bring this magic to their guests when they show them where to look, share little bits of information, at just the right time and leave their guests awe inspired about the wonders of nature.
Just like the creative craft of David Attenborough and his team has inspired so many young people to follow a career devoted to nature, skilled guides turn “average Joe’s” into naturalists ready for their next learning experience every day.
Nature Guides are Trendsetters
How cool is it to have an appreciation for the outdoors – a reconnection with nature – as the trend you are setting! Nature guides work in such amazing places and do so many exciting things. Almost everyone enjoys reading, watching or hearing about the amazing encounters guides have every day. Thanks to Social media platforms like Tiktok, Instagram and Youtube, these experiences become accessible to millions more people and not only the lucky 9 on the back of your game viewer for this morning’s drive. Click through to some of the social media links below to share in some of our recent experiences.
Nature Guides help to shape the future
There is a popular saying in conservation – “if it pays, it stays”. Enlightened guests that had unforgettable life experiences with guides, and a newly inspired online community eager to also come out and experience this refreshing trend to be in close to nature -is how guides ensure day by day to keep the demand for nature based experiences growing ,outcompeting other industries.
Nature Guides are Wildlife Monitors
Eyes in the field and feet on the ground makes for an enormous amount of patterns, and sighting information that makes its way to valuable research efforts on a daily basis. Guides contribute to the development of databases that help researchers learn more about so many wildlife populations and behaviours. Nature Guides help wildlife conservation projects in this way.
Nature Guides are Next-level Educators
Although many guides were probably the “cant sit still, cant focus and always in trouble” schoolkids that hated school, having the opportunity to touch so many lives by just sharing and living their passion – those same “always in trouble” kids from school become inspirational heroes to the next generation of kids.
There are many other ways that Nature Guides help Wildlife Conservation – can you think of any more?
About Bhejane:
Bhejane Nature Training is a FGASA (Field Guides Association of Southern Africa) Endorsed Training Provider based in northern KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. We provide professional career training for nature guides, trails guides, marine guides, and conservation entrepreneurs! We also offer nature based, career development gap year programmes and a variety of short courses. Browse our website and socials to join us in Bhejane Territory.
Posted on: 6 September, 2022 by the Bhejane Tribe