Establishing tracker and trailing assessment system
The innovation involves using an assessment methodology which is free from literacy-based biases in determining the relative levels of expertise amongst trackers in being able to identify animal spoor, trail wildlife,and related skills associated with wildlife behavioural knowledge, game counting, disease monitoring, anti-poaching activity and wild plant inventories. The skills are assessed against an ecosystem specific competency test and trackers are certified at four different levels of competence. The assessment is scientifically credible and internationally certified for standardization. The best trackers are then employed to train younger trackers and later to assess them.
Namibia has a strong legislative framework for co-management and shared benefits in protected areas. However it does not yet have a nnational system of traditional skills and competence testing that removes educational biases from technical assessments. Traditional knowledge is still strong in the older San generations. The Namibian government has allowed San communities to stay in the national park and be employed as trackers and rangers based on their ability to apply valuable traditional knowledge in conservation.
The methodology focusses on formalizing recognition of real skills and knowledge, rather than imposing literacy or educational barriers which would exclude many indigenous peoples in the region. Africa is excluding most of its endongenous science knowledge from conservation due to issues of bias regarding school qualifications rather than biodiversity knowledge and technical competencies. Elders have been empowered as certified trackers and trainers, while young people enjoy the job opportunities and exposure to computers andnew technology opportunities. The assessment is modified to suit the specifics of the ecosystem and local biodiversity, rather than being a generic national skill set. IPACC continues to work with KPA and IRDNC to promote a national standards and certification process so that this model can be taken to national and regional scales.