Martin Von Kaschke
Martin von Kaschke is the technical advisor for the Srepok Wilderness Area Project
Where did you grow up?
In South Africa. I attended primary school in Cape Town and then went to a fantastic high school, Oakdale Agricultural High School, in the Southern Cape in a little town named Riversdale. The years at this school just confirmed my passion for being outside and working with local people.
Did you always want to work in conservation?
For a part of my childhood, I grew up in protected areas and enjoyed spending time outdoors. My father is a conservationist, so I guess the answer is yes. I worked for Old Mutual in employee benefits just to make sure what I did not want to do. In the end the logical decision was to go into conservation. This is what I know, and you do what you love.
What did you study at university?
I studied in South Africa at the Cape Technikon where I earned a National Diploma in Conservation. I later upgraded that to a B.Tech Degree (equivalent to an Honours Degree) in Conservation. I am now working on my Master's Degree in environment management at the University of Free State, South Africa, and will have completed this degree by the end of 2006.
How did you end up working for WWF?
I was attending classes for my Master's, and someone encouraged me to regularly check a particular website which advertised international conservation posts. The first one I saw was this particular job and the rest is history. This job's terms of reference were written for me, and past years have prepared me for this experience.
What is the hardest part of your job?
People. People we work with. There are a lot of things you have to keep in mind. You have to know what the government is thinking and what WWF is thinking. Then you have to try to couple this to what is needed by the local people and often bringing the three together is not easy.
What is the best thing about the job?
People, working with people in the forest. It is the camaraderie I like. You are living with these guys, sleeping next to these guys, washing and cooking with these guys for days on end. At night, all the rangers talk to each other through their hammock walls and you wake up with same guys. Sitting around a fire at night and communicating in broken Khmer, drawing maps and illustrations, anything to get an idea across, brings you closer to the people and the situation. The problem becomes "yours" and you obtain a better understanding of the challenges that people face on an everyday basis. This small group of individuals helps solve the challenges, and it all becomes very personal.
What are your ambitions for the future?
To continue, via WWF, making a difference in conservation but more aimed at ground level operations, thus establishing the basics on the ground. There are many people working on establishing policies and laws, thus setting up the basics at the national level for countries like Cambodia, but there are fewer people living and working in the provinces. It is here that local people get to know about WWF, its aims and goals and how WWF can make a difference to their everyday lives. It is also here that WWF employees can help ensure that policies, laws, rules and regulations and in general theories can be tested and actually become applicable to local people.
What advise would you offer someone who wanted to do what you do?
If someone wants to work in protected area management, he or she has to start at the bottom and get some practical experience doing the jobs that need to be done, like repairing and maintaining motorcycles and vehicles, mending fences, and reading signs of wildlife to mention but a few. It is essential they get into the field and get as much practical experience as possible. One of the most important lessons learned at a young age from the Park Manager of Karoo National Park, previously an experienced Kruger National Park Section Ranger is that to manage an area you have to know it by the sole of your boots. Thus, get involved at every level and get to know the dynamics of the area you are working in.
