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Field Guides Association of Southern Africa

BUSHWISE is an accredited member of The Field Guides Association of Southern Africa (FGASA) which was formally established in 1992. It is a non-profit organisation representing individual field guides, trackers and organisations involved in offering professional field guiding services to members of the public. FGASA aims to promote a culture of professional guiding based on a strong ethical well-informed, safety conscious approach to provide the visitor to the African bush with a pleasant and memorable experience.

The Function of FGASA

  • Quality-assure and moderate nature guiding qualifications
  • Endorse and quality-assure training providers and trainers of nature guiding unit standards
  • Quality-assure and develop qualified nature guide assessors and moderators
  • Enhance the credibility of field guiding and tracking in Southern Africa
  • Encourage guides to achieve higher levels of professionalism, and thereby improve the quality of service to and safety of the visitors both local and international
  • Keep members abreast of developments in the industry via regular communication in its magazine and other mediums.

FGASA Promotes a standard of excellence through:

  • Promoting the development of guiding skills and the progressive levels of professional qualifications
  • Promoting the tourist guide qualifications in the national qualifications framework
  • Encouraging a professional ethical code of conduct
  • Providing a set of professional guiding principles
  • Quality assurance of nature guides, trainers and assessors
  • The endorsement of tracker and nature guide training providers
  • A training syllabus and an evaluation system that promotes the development of nature guides in the National Qualifications Framework (NQF)
  • The requirement of a valid, recognised First Aid Certificate

Skills Development

FGASA promotes the training of nature guides through the endorsement of training providers who conform to the FGASA and National training standards. FGASA's philosophy is one of promoting the guide and tracker on the ground in terms of skills development, recognition of existing skills and creation of job opportunities within the tourism industry. FGASA is fully committed to the development and implementation of the National qualifications, promoting the development of all tourist guides, including previously disadvantaged individuals as guides, trainers and assessors as part of South Africa 's transformational process.