Women’s Month and we celebrate the crucial work of conserving our environment

Like the rest of the world, we celebrate Women’s Month during August each year.

Brittany Arendse is one of many women in Plettenberg Bay whose noble jobs and roles serve the town. She is a conservation scientist at Nature Valley Trust.

She says “Tourism links people with places and, beyond the obvious benefits of tourism. It boosts the economy, job creation, and infrastructure development, there is also the cultural exchange between foreigners and locals that intrigues me”.

Rocking her colourful blue-highlighted hair, Brittany says there has been a dramatic shift over the last few decades when it comes to women in conservation. As women in South Africa, we have come a long way! “Being a woman should not be a hindrance but a platform to inspire. With passion, vision and an action plan, nothing can stop you” says Brittany.

In South Africa, we often hear horrifying stories of inequality in workplaces. It is refreshing to have an encounter with a woman whose skill, voice, and ideas are respected in her workplace. It is great that we even have a public holiday called Women’s Day on 9 August. This is a day for people to enjoy a day off work and thereby have time for reflection to celebrate all women in our country.

Brittany adds, “Sex and race have never been an issue in any of my workplaces and I do believe this is a reflection on our conservation community. In my organization, we are mostly a female team and we celebrate this. We are treated as equals and expected to perform as such regardless of whatever characters may be perceived to set us apart from each other”.

Women’s Month – South African history

Every year, South Africans celebrate Women’s Day and Women’s Month to commemorate the 20 000 who marched to the Union Buildings on 9th August 1956 to protest the extension of the Pass Laws to women. Brittany is an example of what these women fought for and conquered. She is an inspiration to many young women in South Africa. She believes that conserving our environment is an opportunity for people to give back to earth and to our children.

Brittany’s love for nature began when she was just a child. She recalls collecting eggs in the morning in her grandfather’s backyard ending in her being chased around by chickens! Her grandfather’s lovely green garden and colourful blossoms inspired her to study Botany at the University of Cape Town. This eventually led her to Plettenberg Bay and Nature’s Valley Trust. She describes learning English as one of biggest achievements. Coming from an Afrikaans-speaking family, it took significant effort for her to learn English and be able to pass all her university subjects in English. A struggle that many students can relate to!

Brittany monitors beach-breeding birds along the Plett coastline.

Natures Valley Trust

Brittany finds the work that she does for the Nature’s Valley Trust on beach-breeding birds extremely important. She monitors bird species all along the Plett coastline. She is part of the team that educates and brings awareness to communities and learners to change perceptions and nurture or imbue a love for their surroundings. We are so proud to have such wonderful woman to celebrate during Women’s Month.

“Monitoring a single bird species may seem negligible in the greater scheme of things. It, however, tells us so much about the state of our coastline and the wildlife (not only birds) that inhabit it. It’s up to all of us to conserve the coastline that Plett is best known for. It is so important to be aware that we do have an impact on our surroundings, knowingly or not,” she says.

Conservation scientist, educator and a friend of Brittany, Lauren Moriarty, who has worked alongside her for the past three years, describes Brittany as an incredibly talented person. She is a forward-thinking scientist, and an integral part of the team. She says that Brittany has proven her ability to adapt quickly to a changing environment and has truly facilitated a successful campaign around the ongoing #sharetheshores work. The #ShareTheShores campaign, introduced by Nature’s Valley Trust, is an intervention and awareness programme to inform visitors of the region’s rich coastal biodiversity and how we can all “share the shores”.

Brittany’s special interest is the white-fronted plover. Her research expands throughout the entire Bitou area incorporating both citizen science and educational aspects that have gained real traction. When Brittany is not out with her binoculars and camera observing and conserving, she enjoys the arts, is an avid painter and crafter, and has recently taken up ceramic pottery classes.