Time and human resources are two of the scarcest commodities faced by a successful conservation group. Your time and skills could prove invaluable to the future of our birds and their habitats. Here are some of the areas where you could be directly involved and make a difference

Become a BirdLife Membership Campaigner

Membership is the foundation of any successful NGO. The more members we have the louder will be our voice against destructive, unsustainable development. Equally important, higher membership numbers gives us increased financial security to continue our valuable work.

BirdLife South Africa is looking for enthusiastic individuals from across the country who can become "membership champions". This involves direct promotion of BirdLife South Africa, our work and recruitment at various events and public venues.

We need an "army" of concerned individuals and environmentalists to spread the word about our work, help educate the public and encourage people to sign up as members. This is arguably some of the most critical work we undertake - changing perceptions and getting people directly involved in supporting the organisation.

Sign up a corporate and win.  Find out more about the BirdLife South Africa Corporate Membership Drive - read more.

Mentor a community bird guide

BirdLife South Africa's Avitourism Division has trained over 400 community bird guides across South Africa. These guides act as ambassadors for birds and bird conservation in their communities, which are mostly adjacent to or nearby Important Bird Areas. The income that these guides earn through guiding tourists also acts as a major incentive for conserving birds and their habitats in rural areas. The guide training programme gives us an opportunity to add direct economic value to birds and their habitats, whilst also mitigating the impacts of poverty on conservation.

However, most guides get basic training only and require many hours of mentorship and support to develop their birding skills and develop their confidence when it comes to dealing with birders and the public as well as developing their businesses.

If you have the time or regularly go birding in any of the more rural parts of South Africa, you could make a big difference in someone's life by taking a newly trained community bird guide under your wing. This could involve anything from simply taking a community guide along with you on birding outings to teaching business and communication skills, or just being a support structure. The value that this adds to the success of a community bird guide is phenomenal. Especially valuable is undertaking to mentor a guide in work on data collection projects such as the Southern African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP2).

For more information on getting involved as a "mentor" please contact Martin Taylor on +27 (0) 72 277 7254 or emai This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it