Sara Forsberg

Born and raised in Norway to a Swedish mother and American father, travel has been a part of Sara’s life from an early age. Nature has always fascinated her and following a successful career as a professional dancer, Sara’s travels throughout South and Eastern Africa are what really brought her to choose biology as a field of study. Sara has an intuitive sense when it comes to animals and has understood the challenges of working closely with wild animals through volunteer work in Namibia. This also made her aware of the delicate nature of different aspects of conservation. In furthering her field experience, she has completed her FGASA Level 1 Field guide and Trails guide certificates.

In 2017, Sara had the opportunity to live and work as Project Implementation Manager for the Ju/’hoansi community in the Nyae Nyae Conservancy in Namibia, through Nanofasa Conservation Trust. While working as a project manager she learned a lot about living and working with people from a different culture. She gained a critical understanding of the complex social dimensions of conservation. These experiences have taught her how important it is to support local communities and she would love to be a part of initiatives that encourage  and emphasize community engagement in protecting wildlife.

During the second year of Sara's bachelor’s degree, she participated in a course in conservation biology and knew she had found her niche. Through volunteer work at Wildlife Act in South Africa and in Norway, Sara has gained field work experience and practical skills in a variety of tools for monitoring and collecting data. A focus point in her studies have been human wildlife conflict, which is something she’s very passionate about.

When not studying Sara loves hiking, any water related activity, hanging out with friends, practicing yoga, and of course, dancing. Sara has a deep love for nature and conservation, which has brought her to the African continent on multiple occasions. She left a piece of her heart in Africa and is thrilled to be back to what feels like her second home.

Thesis: Disentangling entanglement in Cape fur seals for better management of plastic pollution impacts. (Supervisor: Peter Ryan)