Call for Young Wildlife Professionals internship

The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) is responsible for Component 1 of the Global Environment Facility (GEF-6) funded project, implemented by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) through the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The overall objective of the project is to reduce the rate of illegal wildlife trade in South Africa. This component focuses on strengthening the capacity of the Scientific Authority of South Africa (SAoSA) by improving wildlife trade monitoring systems. A core function of SAoSA is to monitor both legal and illegal trade in species listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Currently, fragmented provincial systems pose significant challenges in assessing the scale and impact of wildlife trade. To address this, SANBI has developed the South African Wildlife Population System (SAWPS), a centralised platform to consolidate species and trade data for improved monitoring, assessment, and reporting.  The Young Wildlife Professionals will play a critical role in collecting, validating, and capturing species and trade data, thereby ensuring the sustainability and effectiveness of the SAWPS.

Requirements:

Candidates must be enthusiastic and have a keen interest in the conservation of biodiversity.

No prior working experience is required but a strong academic record at university will be an advantage.

Conditions:

• Applicants must be South African citizens
• Applicants must be in the youth category (18 – 35)
• Applicants must not be enrolled for higher degrees for the 2026 or 2027 academic year

Placement opportunities:

• North-West Departmentof Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism (DEDECT) in Mmabatho
• Free State Department of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (DESTEA) in Bloemfontein

Required qualifications:

Bachelor’s / Advanced Diploma or Honours in any of the following fields:

Environmental Science, Ecology, Biodiversity Conservation, Zoology, Wildlife Management,

Data Science, GIS, or any related field

Application procedure:

Complete the following application form

Applications are to include:

• a letter of interest reflecting skills and suitability relevant to the internship;
• full CV;
• certified copies of academic record/transcript and highest qualification;
• certified copy of ID;
• one letter of academic reference.

Contact details:

For queries about the internship, contact Sipho Mabunda Si.Mabunda@sanbi.org.za

For queries about the application process, contact René du Toit r.dutoit@sanbi.org.za

 SANBI reserves the right not to fill these internships. If no response has been received within 30 days of the closing date, candidates may assume that their applications were unsuccessful.