Kerryn Morrison, chair of the IUCN Crane Specialist Group and Africa lead for the International Crane Foundation and Endangered Wildlife Trust, is a mentee in CPSG’s Development Path. As a part of this conservation planning mentorship program, Kerryn recently facilitated a workshop for the Cape parrot (Poicephalus robustus), South Africa’s only endemic parrot species. The aim of the workshop was to bring stakeholders together to review the status and threats to Cape parrots and to develop a conservation action plan for the species. 

For Kerryn, the workshop was also a chance for her to strike out on her own as a facilitator, putting her developing skills to the test. Read on to hear her thoughts on the workshop and her experience as a mentee in CPSG’s Development Path.

How did you get involved in this workshop?

I have been a member of CPSG since the early to mid-2000s. I started off assisting with or leading Population Viability Assessment modelling at a number of workshops. However, I have not been an active member for several years. I then attended the online facilitation training course that CPSG Director of Training Jamie Copsey was leading and expressed my interest in becoming more involved in facilitation.  When the Cape parrot project request was received, Jamie approached me to do the workshop.

How did the workshop go? What were the results?

The workshop went well, and we achieved a lot in the very short two days that we had for the workshop. I used a hybrid CPSG/Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation approach, which I do think worked well. But, I also learned a lot about where improvements could be made. The work was not completed in the two days, but commitments were made by all participants to complete the various sections by mid-October.

The outcomes of the workshop were many, but for me the following are key:

• There was a real sense of collaboration in the room and a positivity about the way forward.
• Funding and a supporting structure were offered by the Wild Bird Trust for a coordinating body to ensure that the plan and Cape parrot conservation continues in a coordinated manner.
• There was support for the development of a Cape Parrot Biodiversity Management Plan, which will use the plan developed here as a basis for a South African legislative process that provides for conservation action for a species.

Why did you join the CPSG Development Path?

I have facilitated and chaired a number of workshops over the last 20 years, using primarily what I had seen others do, with a little bit of research from my side. The CPSG Development Path provided me with the fantastic opportunity to really understand facilitation more and to immerse myself in its theory and practice. It gave me the process to follow and an outline of the various tools and methods for achieving results and really being effective as a facilitator.

What has been your experience so far on the path?

I really loved the training and am digging in even deeper now to the theory and the methods and tools that one has at your disposal. I must admit that facilitating my first CPSG workshop on my own (and not with a mentor and guide in the room) was daunting. However, the mentorship and guidance provided ahead of the workshop, and the thorough planning that we went through, helped a huge amount with giving me the confidence needed. 

I really enjoyed the challenge and the workshop overall. Through reflection though, there are several areas where I know I can improve and there are others where I will be asking for more guidance for future challenges that arise in a similar vein. I learned a lot through the planning process and in the workshop. I do feel that through the lessons I learned, and through deeper reflection both now and as I think more about the workshop, that I have gained experience and confidence in facilitation.  I still have more learning to do, but I feel that I am on the right path.

How does facilitating this workshop fit in to your progression on the CPSG Development Path?

This workshop provided for me the opportunity to take the next step – Certificate of Reflective Practice – in facilitation.  Jamie particularly, but CPSG Chair Onnie Byers, too, provided guidance and ongoing support during the planning phase of the project, which was an invaluable learning experience.  

I’d like to give a huge thanks to CPSG for the training opportunity and the mentorship and guidance that they have provided! I have learned an enormous amount! I’d also like to acknowledge the International Crane Foundation and Endangered Wildlife Trust Partnership. They have been fantastic in giving me the opportunity to do this.