Abstract
Conservationists in South Africa continue to be challenged by the unrelenting rhino poaching
crisis. The impacts of witnessing the brutality of poaching, and facing life-threatening
situations with heavily armed poaching gangs exacts a psychological and physiological toll
on individuals, their families, conservation organisations, and society as a whole. This
dissertation recognises that trauma awareness holds relevance for stakeholders on the
frontlines of rhino poaching, and explores how this needs to evolve. An integrative literature
review explores the latest developments in trauma science, and informs the interview
approach and inquiry into trauma awareness. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were
conducted with five conservationists working on the frontlines, providing a qualitatively-rich,
sensitive and reflexive exploration of the lived experiences of the participants. Data was
analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, generating four key themes: responding to
experience, how is trauma understood, healing towards resilience, and a hostile landscape.
The themes confirm that conservationists are being significantly impacted by the experiences
they are facing which is compounded by challenging and stressful work environments.
Cultural and traditional perceptions, taboos, and stigmas influence how the impact is
understood, whilst trauma support and resilience practices vary according to individual and
organisational contexts. This dissertation concludes that trauma awareness is in its infancy
and urgently needs to evolve, and that current support strategies are inadequate given the
enormity of the crisis. Further research is needed to explore how awareness can be evolved,
and what support and mitigation strategies will have the most significant and sustainable
impact. Using an awareness-based systems approach, informed by Occupational Health
principles, organisations can begin to develop trauma informed practices that can better equip conservationists to cope with the ongoing crisis.
crisis. The impacts of witnessing the brutality of poaching, and facing life-threatening
situations with heavily armed poaching gangs exacts a psychological and physiological toll
on individuals, their families, conservation organisations, and society as a whole. This
dissertation recognises that trauma awareness holds relevance for stakeholders on the
frontlines of rhino poaching, and explores how this needs to evolve. An integrative literature
review explores the latest developments in trauma science, and informs the interview
approach and inquiry into trauma awareness. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were
conducted with five conservationists working on the frontlines, providing a qualitatively-rich,
sensitive and reflexive exploration of the lived experiences of the participants. Data was
analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, generating four key themes: responding to
experience, how is trauma understood, healing towards resilience, and a hostile landscape.
The themes confirm that conservationists are being significantly impacted by the experiences
they are facing which is compounded by challenging and stressful work environments.
Cultural and traditional perceptions, taboos, and stigmas influence how the impact is
understood, whilst trauma support and resilience practices vary according to individual and
organisational contexts. This dissertation concludes that trauma awareness is in its infancy
and urgently needs to evolve, and that current support strategies are inadequate given the
enormity of the crisis. Further research is needed to explore how awareness can be evolved,
and what support and mitigation strategies will have the most significant and sustainable
impact. Using an awareness-based systems approach, informed by Occupational Health
principles, organisations can begin to develop trauma informed practices that can better equip conservationists to cope with the ongoing crisis.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Supervisors/Advisors |
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| Publication status | Published - 6 Jan 2025 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)
- trauma- awareness
- rhino poaching
- conservation
- conservation medicine
- trauma
- trauma-healing
- occupational health
- collective trauma