community bird guide development program

An exciting initiative along all the birding routes is the availability of Community Bird Guides. The guides are affordable, provide improved security and valuable information on where elusive and special bird species may be found.

BirdLife South Africa recognised the important role that local communities can play in conservation and as a result became involved in bird guide training and skills development. BirdLife South Africa launched the Community Bird Guide Training Program in 2001.

The program was designed to provide local community members with an opportunity to participate in the ever-growing avitourism business, as well as to create an awareness of the economic benefits of birds and their habitats to local communities.

The program works together with communities along each route to identify potential Community Bird Guides. Funding is then sourced to assist these community members in attending a 1-month accredited bird guide training course. An extensive route mentorship and support program is also in place to help guides to continues to grow and develop once training is completed.

Community Bird Guides are most successful when working within an established birding route where long-term support, mentoring and marketing ae freely available. The birding routes in turn work hand in hand with BirdLife Travel, a specialist travel agency set up by BirdLife South Africa, to plan itineraries that link Community Bird Guides with birding sites.

Birding Routes

To book a community bird guide in various areas along the routes, please browse a route and click the community bird guides link, alternatively click on any of the routes below to navigate directly to their guide list.

Eastern Cape	Gauteng	Greater Limpopo
Kruger to Canyon	Mpumalanga	Southern Kwazulu-Natal
Zululand

To find out more about the Guide Development Program, or become a program sponsor, please contact our Ashwell Glasson, our Acting Guide Training Manager.