Indigenous Plant Management Fundamentals Training

Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate an understanding of the principles and practices of indigenous plant management.
• Identify and classify indigenous plant species using standard botanical methods.
• Apply appropriate techniques for the propagation, cultivation, and conservation of indigenous plants.
• Analyze the ecological and cultural significance of indigenous plants in South African contexts.
• Evaluate the impact of invasive species and implement management strategies to protect indigenous biodiversity.
• Develop a basic management plan for an indigenous plant conservation area.

Target Audience

This course is ideal for environmental practitioners, land managers, conservation officers, and anyone involved in natural resource management. It is also suitable for individuals seeking to enhance their understanding of indigenous flora and its sustainable management.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment

Course Outline

Practicals

Overview

Hands-on practical sessions are essential for developing skills in plant identification, propagation, cultivation, and field management. Learners will engage in nursery work, field surveys, and restoration activities to apply theoretical knowledge in real-world contexts.

Practical Activities

• Plant Identification and Herbarium Preparation — Learners collect and identify indigenous plant specimens using dichotomous keys and field guides, then prepare herbarium sheets. (8h)
• Propagation and Nursery Management — Learners practice seed collection, pretreatment, sowing, and vegetative propagation (cuttings) in a nursery setting. (8h)
• Restoration Planting and Aftercare — Learners participate in a restoration project: site preparation, planting indigenous species, and implementing aftercare (mulching, irrigation). (8h)
• Invasive Alien Plant Control — Learners identify and manually remove invasive alien plants, and apply herbicide under supervision following safety protocols. (6h)
• Firebreak Construction and Prescribed Burn Planning — Learners construct a firebreak and develop a prescribed burn plan, including weather assessment and safety measures. (6h)

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course via daily exercises, scored practical assignments, and a final summative test at the end.

Practical Assignments — 30%

Practical assignments are observed and scored against a rubric during the practical sessions. Each delegate's practical mark is averaged into a single 100% score and contributes 30% to the final total.

Daily Exercises — 20%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 20% to the final total.

Final Test — 50%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 50% to the overall mark.

Final Total

Component	Out of	Weight
Practical Assignments (rubric-scored)	100%	30%
Daily Average (multiple choice)	100%	20%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice)	100%	50%
Final Total	—	100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

How it works

• Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
• Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
• You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
• If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.

Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates	Discount
5	3% off
10	6% off
15	9% off
20	12% off
25	15% off
30	18% off
50	30% off
75	35% off
100	40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.