Who would have thought I would spend my senior fall pitching tents under the desert stars and marveling at magnificent wildlife? These adventures—and many more—were made possible thanks to Dartmouth's Environmental Studies Foreign Study Program (FSP) in South Africa and Namibia, where I spent 10 weeks with 15 of my peers and three Dartmouth professors studying conservation and human development.
As an economics and environmental studies double major with a minor in international studies, I was eager to explore a new part of the world and delve deep into the study of natural resource management and local environmental issues. Last September, my classmates and I arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa, where we spent our first week touring landmarks like the Apartheid Museum, Mandela House, and Cullinan Mine.
We traveled on to Namibia, one of the world's driest and most sparsely populated countries. There, we watched cheetahs race for food at the Cheetah Conservation Fund, marveled at the magnificent wildlife at Etosha National Park, combed through camera trap data at Ongava Research Center, and helped build a community garden at the Uibasen-Twyfelfontein Conservancy. I will never forget the thrill of riding in open-air vehicles at sunset as we peered through our binoculars at zebras, elephants, giraffes, rhinos, and oryx (Namibia's national animal).
We debated seal culling and marine phosphate mining with students at the University of Namibia, spoke with an expert on green hydrogen, and asked senior officials in Namibia's Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources about sustainable management of native stocks. We visited Cape Cross, one of the world's largest Cape fur seal colonies, and tried fresh oysters straight from the saltwater at a local aquaculture farm.
My cohort stayed as guests at the Gobabeb Namib Research Institute, nestled in the heart of the hyperarid Namib Desert, and slept in tents along the ephemeral Kuiseb Riverbed. Over 11 intense field days, we collected data to assess the impact of vegetation type and distribution on invertebrate biodiversity. We set up nearly 100 pitfall traps and meticulously recorded thousands of data entries.
The program wasn't all work and no play, though. My cohort celebrated Halloween with a costume contest, played volleyball near our tents, hiked the surrounding sand dunes, and stayed up late at night stargazing until we fell asleep.
In my classes at Dartmouth, I often studied environmental history and laws, but this off-campus program gave me a newfound appreciation for the on-the-ground data collection that informs evidence-based policies. We spoke to local stakeholders about the politics of global conservation nonprofits, trophy hunting, and human-wildlife conflict. Our learning never stopped.
Stripped from a steady WiFi connection, I was pushed out of my comfort zone as I wrote papers in my tent and learned to decompress without technology. Through the initial discomfort, though, I grew more through this program than in any course. This experience not only deepened my passion for environmental studies but also equipped me with practical research skills and unforgettable memories that will stay with me for a lifetime.
Photograph by Beam Lertbunnaphongs '25, pictured racing down the sand dunes of the Namib, a coastal desert, to celebrate the culmination of weeks spent conducting ecology field research at the Gobabeb Namib Research Institute.
