The course begins with an introduction to Southern African geology. You’ll learn how different types of rock and soil found in Southern Africa support specific plants and animals. Move on to learning about how the Southern Africa climate and weather patterns are shaped by a range of factors. Then, find out how to identify key features of the Southern African sky and how they change from season to season, in the astronomy module.

Move on to learning about ecology, finding out how biological and non-biological organisations interact to shape Southern African ecosystems. Then discover the definition of a biome, a community of organisms adapted to a specific environment and sharing similar characteristics. Learn how to identify the biomes that can be found in Southern Africa.

Then you’ll start learning about specific species. To get you started, you’ll first learn how species are named in the scientific community, in the taxonomy module. Afterwards, study botany basics. Learn how to identify Southern African plant species and their traditional uses. Find out how to identify arthropods next. These creatures include insects, arachnids, such as spiders, myriapods, such as millipedes and centipedes, and crustaceans, such as crabs. Finally complete modules on how to identify fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals commonly found throughout Southern Africa. Finish off your study of the Southern African animal kingdom with a module on ethology, the study of animal behaviour.

In the final two modules, you’ll learn how conservation activities in Southern Africa are managed and about the history of human habitation in the Southern African areas.

Throughout the course, you’ll have the opportunities to attend masterclasses on a range of more in-depth topics such as elephant, pangolin, snake, vulture conservation and research, anti-poaching initiatives, trailing animals on safari walks, bird photography, African folklore and relevant operational strategies used in the management of nature and wildlife reserves.