Table Mountain National Park
Table Mountain National Park
Position: Marine Conservation
Number of available positions: 1
Duration of internship: 12-24 weeks
Are you interested in marine biology and conservation? Do you love working outdoors? Well then you should consider a marine conservation internship with Table Mountain National Park in Cape Town, one of the world's most beautiful cities.
There is no better place to do a marine conservation internship than in Cape Town, both because of its natural beauty and unique diversity of fauna and flora. Situated at the south-western tip of Africa, the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) encompasses the incredibly scenic Table Mountain Chain stretching from Signal Hill in the north to Cape Point in the south. The narrow finger of land with its beautiful valleys, bays and beaches is surrounded by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean in the west and the warmer waters of False Bay, and has within its boundaries two world-renowned landmarks - majestic Table Mountain and the legendary Cape of Good Hope. The Park, includes 1,000 square km of the seas and coastline around the peninsula, is internationally recognized for its extraordinarily diverse fauna and flora. Because the Cape Peninsula is the site where the cold Benguela and warm Atlantic currents mix, the sea around the peninsula is incredibly rich in marine diversity. Nowhere else in the world does an area of such spectacular beauty and such rich bio-diversity exist almost entirely within a metropolitan area - the cosmopolitan city of Cape Town. The Park thus offers the perfect environment to do a marine conservation internship.
In 2004, the Table Mountain National Park created the Marine Protected Area (MPA) to help ensure that commercial and recreational use of the ocean is sustainable. While fishing is allowed in the majority of the MPA - subject to Marine and Coastal Management (MCM) permits, regulations and seasons - it also includes six restricted or "no-take" zones where no fishing or extractive activities are allowed. These no-take zones are important breeding and nursery areas for marine life. By leaving these zones unmolested, there will ultimately be an increase in marine stock and a chance for threatened species to regenerate.
Does studying and working to preserve the diversity of marine life in Table Mountain National Park appeal to you? Well then you should apply for an internship with the Marine Conservation Team, which manages and monitors the use of Table Mountain National Park’s marine areas. The 16-strong team is faced with the monumental challenge of combating poaching in the MPA and educating local fishing communities about sustainable fishing and use. Poaching is the single biggest threat to our marine environment, and has resulted in strict regulations and even bans on certain recreational activities. This marine conservation internship will allow you to participate in all aspects of the day-to-day activities conducted by the Marine Team. Some of these activities include patrolling protected waters, monitoring fishing quotas and wildlife populations, checking permits, tracking poachers, and assisting with marine or land-based research. You will spend most of your time outdoors on the sea, in one of the world’s most breathtaking cities! If you are interested in marine conservation, you cannot let this opportunity pass you by.

-A cape fur seal colony on Duiker Island, along the Atlantic seaboard.