Get involved - Overview

BirdLife South Africa (BLSA) relies on volunteer support to achieve many of our goals – your time and inputs could have an extremely valuable outcome for the conservation of birds and their habitats. You can get involved in all areas of our work from data collection to “citizen science” or become a membership campaigner or even volunteer your time or services on one of our projects.

Bird monitoring
As a birder, one of the most valuable contributions you can make is to ensure that the information you collect whilst birding is recorded and put to good use. Most of what we know about our birds, their behaviour and their movements is a result of information from ordinary birders. Getting involved in projects such as the Southern Africa Bird Atlas Project (SABAP2) or the Coordinated Waterbird Counts (CWAC) are ideal projects to put your birding to good use - Click here to find out more about how you can get involved.

Branches and bird clubs
BLSA has a network of over 50 branches across South Africa. Many of these branches run their own projects, provide opportunities to learn more about birds, go on outings and make a difference at a local level. Branches also provide a great social scene for birders and conservation minded individuals to interact and have fun!

For information on branches and their work in your area click here.

Volunteer campaigns
From time to time, BLSA needs volunteers to assist in various campaigns - from saving the Wakkerstroom grasslands from mining, to assisting in active membership drives.

Some projects also require volunteer support for specific tasks. This ranges from mentorship of community bird guides to assisting with projects at schools during our annual national bird week. If you want to make a difference and get involved in one of our campaigns, please click here.