A few years ago, I went from a fairly safe job in government in Denmark to the South African bush without a proper plan or network. I ended up working for a newly started NGO. I hit the ground running and my first task was to monitor a herd of elephants, and particularly one bull who would chase vehicles and was deemed a ‘problem’ animal. Next task was another reserve with four elephant bulls breaking fences and causing havoc. And then it was off to yet another reserve to monitor a newly translocated herd of elephants. Lots of adventures the last few years, lots of experience gained, but not really any proper structure.
There has recently been a change in management and in focus. Hopefully, it will mean a bit of structure with parameters put in place and a clear direction decided on. It also means, I will need to become a project manager. And hence, the need for this course.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, I have been restricted to Denmark. I was supposed to have gone back to South Africa beginning of 2021, but with the new strains popping up, it has been postponed a bit.
My free time in South Africa would have been wood-working, DIY, running (not from being chased) and swimming, watching wildlife and sunsets, braaing with friends, photography and chasing buffaloes and Ground Hornbills away from my car.
My free time in Denmark has been reading, running, walking the dog, crossword puzzles, taking walks with friends at the appropriate distance, photography and always being just a little cold.
Looking forward to meeting you all and to learning more about this project management thing.
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Welcome Ida, sounds like a busy few years and interesting work! What sort of wood work do you do?
Well... I used to be in charge of elephant monitoring, HEC and mitigation, translocations etc. Now it is a lot more varied. Still everything related to elephants (and rhinos to some degree) - which usually means anything requiring knowledge on ecology, conservation, research etc.
At the moment, the NGO is partnering with local communities that are getting land back taken from them during Apartheid. So, at the moment there are a lot of negotiations. My role in this has been to do site visits to look at the overall condition of the land, existing infrastructure, size, status etc. to determine suitability for starting a reserve with elephants and rhinos or linking up with neighbouring reserves.
I would like to get a few research projects up and running, once that is sorted. I enjoy the link between academia and practical work. Taking the theory and moulding to actually work on the ground.