Educating The Next Generation of Conservationists
The FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology (affectionately known as the Fitztitute) is located at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
The mission statement of the Fitztitute is "to promote and undertake scientific studies involving birds, and contribute to the practice affecting the maintenance of biological diversity and the sustained use of biological resources.”
Student Bursary
The BLT began offering a bursary in 2024 for one student to attend the Fitztitute’s Conservation Biology Masters Programme.
A programme in Conservation Biology was established at the FitzPatrick Institute in 1991 to educate students and conservation practitioners in the fast developing field of conservation science. The FitzPatrick Institute is housed within the Biological Sciences Department in the Faculty of Science at the University of Cape Town. The Fitztitute promotes and undertakes scientific studies, mainly involving birds that contribute to the theoretical and practical development of ecology, evolution, and conservation biology. The central focus of the conservation biology programme at the Fitztitute is an intensive MSc degree comprising 7 months of coursework and a 6-month individual research project.
First BLT Bursary Recipient Dembo Jatta undertaking his research on Hooded Vultures in The Gambia
Our first Student was Dembo Jatta from the Gambia who is a keen birder with several years of field work experience who is also passionate about hooded vulture research. Dembo has since completed the Masters programs and is now undertaking his research of hooded vultures for his thesis, which the BLT also financially assisting his necessary equipment.
In November 2024, the BLT provided a second bursary to Kumbirai Chiro. Kumbirai is an aspiring ornithologist from Zimbabwe who has already dedicated her time to advocating for research and protection of biodiversity to conserve the environment for present and future generations.
