Christiaan Viljoen

Joined: Aug 31, 2018 Last Active: Mar 28, 2024 iNaturalist

I'm currently working as the Curator and General Manager for the Garden Route Botanical Garden Trust, a Non-Profit Organisation that located in George (in the Western Cape province of South Africa). The Garden Route Botanical Garden (also known as the Van Kervel Local Authority Nature Reserve) is a privately managed Botanical Garden that is roughly 16 hectares in size, and is situated on the edge of town, at the foot of the Outeniqua Mountains. The Garden is incredibly rich in biodiversity:

https://www.inaturalist.org/places/garden-route-botanical-garden

My main interest is birds and birding and I've been a keen birder ever since childhood. I also have a passionate about plants, with specific interests in indigenous trees, dwarf succulents and epiphytic orchids. I’m a member of the Botanical Society of South Africa (BotSoc), a member of the Orchid Society of the Southern Cape (SCOS) and a member of the Custodians of Rare and Endangered Wildflowers (CREW), and I am an active member of the South African Bird Atlas Project, SABAP2.

I'm also qualified field guide, a member of the Field Guide's Association of South Africa (FGASA), and I was privileged to have spent four years working as a specialist bird guide at RiverBend Lodge, which is located inside the Addo Elephant National Park. Here I have managed to make a reasonable contribution to the iNat observations for this area:

https://www.inaturalist.org/places/riverbend-lodge-s-game-drive-area-aenp

One of my favourite quotes:

"An understanding of the natural world and what's in it is a source of not only a great curiosity but great fulfillment." by Sir David Attenborough

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