Implementation | PANORAMA

Staff training and coaching

Training of Trainers - System admins

RioThePhotographer

SMART training in the field - demo

RioThePhotographer

In order to meaningfully deploy the solution, it is essential to undertake training for all project and non-project staff that will be engaged. In the project, two groups were targeted for training; system administrators and field-based users. System administrators consist of management staff who would maintain the software and configure devices and additional applications while offering continuous training for field-based users. A training of trainers (ToT) was conducted for this group on the structure of the software, customization and implementation. The field-based users were the rangers who conduct daily monitoring routines and the would-be bearers of the mobile applications. Training for this group entails efficient use of mobile devices, mobile applications and submitting data.

Collaboration - The collaboration with SFG was of great benefit with respect to building the capacity of system admins at OPC to develop data collection models and train rangers on the use of SMART mobile.
Team spirit - The solution target teams were very receptive of the proposed technology and this made it easy to train while enhancing uptake

Flexibility - While planning for training, consider multiple sessions to allow flexibility in the event of a disruption. In this project, training activities were affected by COVID19 containment measures. The intended one session for over 50 participants had to be split into four in order to achieve required spacing requirements
Piloting before actualization - At the design stage, it is necessary to trial available solutions where possible in order to identify training needs, intensity required and frequency of refresher training.
Training of trainers - It is innovative for project managers to make use of beneficiaries at different levels to implement parts of the project. In this project, five members of staff were initially trained with advanced aspects of the technology and what aspects to be passed on to the users of mobile applications.

Implementation

Monitoring

Local

Capacity building of Wildlife Rangers on the enforcement procedures, monitoring of seabirds, and invasive species eradication.

This building block emphasizes the main solution to the lack of capacity of wildlife rangers. Doing this activity requires good planning and preparation to convene a successful training. The activity enhances the capacity of wildlife rangers so they would be able to carry out the enforcement, seabirds monitoring, and invasive species eradication activities effectively. This building block is very essential, therefore, the wildlife office continues to search for funding, as much as they could, to cover all the cost of these capacity buildings to ensure that all their rangers are well equipped to execute their responsibility.

The full participation of wildlife rangers in these trainings. Without their full commitment and participation in these conducted trainings, the outcome of these trainings or capacity buildings will not be achieved.
Full support from the Management team in these training sessions. There is a need to involve the management in the preparation phase, so they are well aware of the training content.
The great commitment and effort given by the trainer, when conducting these training, will make the training very fruitful.

Having a good and well organized workshop or training will bring lots of benefits to the rangers, and will effectively build their capacity in every operation they will conduct at the field in the coming future.

Implementation

Subnational

National

Development of an integrated management strategy and action plan for the protected areas and conservation of seabirds and their habitat on Kiribati Island.

This building block emphasizes the major concern of the Government of Kiribati regarding the challenges in the management of the protected areas and seabirds. The Government of Kiribati, through the Wildlife Conservation Unit (WCU) of the Environment and Conservation Division (ECD), has been struggling for the past 30 years in managing the protected areas in Kiritimati Island. But through the development of this integrated management strategy and action plan, the Government of Kiribati is able to manage and address the identified or common environmental challenges that are affecting the health of the seabird species successfully and effectively.

The full support from the local council and other Government agencies in the development of the project is one of the key enabling factors for the success of the management strategy and action plan development.
The full support from the community to the development of the management strategy and action plan is another key factor. Most of the communities, who participated in the consultation, were very supportive of this important management plan. They even gave some suggestions and advice for strengthening the implementation of the management plan.

Having a good collaboration and partnership with the key stakeholders (local communities and other key Government enforcement partners) to fasten the development and process of the intended Management plan.
The consultation to local communities to enlighten them on the importance of the vulnerable island seabirds to the environment and ecosystem, and also emphasize the real factors that caused the decrease in the number of seabirds, will persuade them to reconsider their actions that have an impact on these seabirds.

Implementation

Subnational

National

Close cooperation with law enforcement authorities

The Turtle Foundation maintains a very close relationship with the local conservation authority and the national police for several years. We provide extensive professional, financial, human, logistical and technical assistance to support the authorities' law enforcement efforts against sea turtle poaching.

The project includes the use of conservation dogs and modern night vision technology (drones and binoculars with thermal imaging technology) and their professional application within the framework of coordinated operational concepts and strategies. The operational concepts are developed in cooperation with the police, who partly accompany the operations or are on call in case our teams uncover a poaching case.

While previous strategies focused mainly on preventing poaching activities through the presence of rangers and volunteers on the beaches, the more proactive approach of the Dog & Drone team involves detection, intervention and prosecution of poaching activities.

Good relationship with the local authorities
The local authorities must be willing to prevent poaching and to prosecute poachers
Availability of law enforcement agents to participate in missions

Education of local law enforcement agents about the ecology and significance of sea turtles helped a lot to engage and motivate them in the protection of sea turtles. Before this project, many police officers had never even seen a turtle or knew about their life cycle.

As the team patrols 5 protected areas island wide, good relations and communication with other NGOs and local communities are necessary.

Implementation

National

Efficient underwater data collection

Collecting measurements of a white sea cucumber with udder

Mahanatea GARBUTT

Underwater note-taking

Mahanatea GARBUTT

The organization of underwater work must be clear, concise and safe for all divers. A simple but effective protocol will optimize data collection. Equipment must be designed to facilitate note-taking and photography. A reminder of the protocol before each dive is imperative, to remind divers of the purpose of the study and the safety instructions. Divers are also asked to describe the surrounding environment, encouraging them to collect additional data or take photographs of the substrate, slope or other animals encountered, etc.

Establish a clear and reliable diving organization.
Define a simple, effective protocol.
Equip yourself with operational equipment (scuba, tag, underwater camera, etc.).
Record as much animal data as possible (measurements, depth, position, behavior, etc.).
Always add comments on environmental characteristics (sediment, algae, etc.).
Note the weather and abiotic factors (current, swell, etc.) for each dive.

Always have one or two back-up plans.
Anticipate everything.
Have a flexible schedule in case of bad weather.
Have professional divers trained in species identification.
Have reliable professional divers.

Implementation

Local

2. Identification of the key areas of concern (Data Collection/ SAGE process)

Representatives from government providing their recommendations during SAGE Makame WMA

Namnyaki Mattasia

Representatives from men community providing their recommendations during SAGE Makame WMA

Namnyaki Mattasia

Representatives from invester group providing their recommendations during SAGE Makame WMA

Namnyaki Mattasia

Representatives from women community providing their recommendations during SAGE Burunge WMA

Namnyaki Mattasia

The main SAGE workshop started with pre-workshop orientation of participants and facilitators followed by two days assessment. During these sessions participants were provided with an initial overview of the SAGE process through presentations, followed by printed score cards for each of the 39 SAGE questions based on the ten principles of good governance and equity, from which each stakeholder group discussed the question, scored the results and presented to the plenary. The major differences in opinion between the different stakeholder groups could likely indicate governance challenges therefore these differences were well noted and justifications of their scores were provided.

This process continued by provision of ideas for action from each stakeholder group on the areas where the major differences occurred. For example, differences of opinion on benefit sharing among different actor groups may occur because the different stakeholder groups may have different information or different understandings of the available information. Therefore, for this to be easily resolved, recommendations for better transparency and sharing of proper information among stakeholder groups could be identified as a recommended solution as well as the plans for its implementation put in place.

Assessing the governance and equity at the site level can be a complex task that requires careful consideration of several factors so as to ensure its success. Based on the SAGE assessment done, consideration of the following made the SAGE process successful;

Proper identification and engagement of key stakeholders.
Openness and transparency of key stakeholders during the whole assessment process.
The willingness of key stakeholders to address the identified disparities and inequities, and be willing to take the necessary corrective measures.

SAGE methodology covers a gap in the conservation toolbox, providing self-assessment, multi stakeholder opinions, and a platform to iron out strengths and weaknesses of protected areas in a safe and participatory manner

SAGE provides information for planning, strategy, reporting and policy development at system, national, and global levels. Honeyguide has incorporated SAGE as the main tool to initiate discussions, assess, diagnose and inform governance capacity building initiatives of WMAs in Tanzania

Like any other participatory approaches, advanced planning is required to make SAGE useful and successful. This includes advance invitations and follow-ups, careful venue selection, as well as choosing appropriate facilitators with a balance between experience, credibility, language, familiarity of the local context, non-conflicts of interests and other logistical planning

We also learned that the success of the assessment depends much on the familiarity of the facilitators to the assessment questions. Sufficient time needs to be invested in preworkshop orientation of facilitator

Partnership and collaboration

Since the software being deployed (SMART) was not being developed but rather an implementation, there existed other organizations that have used it. It was necessary to adapt and capitalize on the experience of other partners for a smooth process. This project engaged Space for Giants (SFG) who monitor large mammals in the landscape to provide guidance, templates and training. The training of trainers was conducted by SFG who also offered support in the development and configuration of necessary databases, online platforms and data collection models.

Two years before the project was conceived, a collaboration between Ol Pejeta and Vulcan Inc. through the Tech Lab saw the creation of an online visualization platform, EarthRanger that has since been used to integrate reports from various sources within the organization and from partners.

Landscape level information sharing - Organizations in Laikipia have partnerships which facilitate collaborative monitoring of particular aspects of biodiversity and preparation of landscape reports. This enables easy collaborations in capacity building and innovation.
Common goal - OPC has established a Conservation Technology Lab for developing, testing and monitoring technologies for the benefit of all players in the landscape. SFG also provides a centralized database for wildlife monitoring to some conservancies in Laikipia.

Collaborations help reduce costs - The partnership with SFG in this project significantly reduced the cost of developing SMART data collection models and training of staff which would otherwise require the hiring of a consultant(s).
Past and current partnerships have future benefits - The collaboration with Vulcan Inc which was developed 2 years earlier became beneficial to this project where SMART was integrated with EarthRanger to enhance visual analysis and sharing.

Laikipia Conservancies Association

Space for Giants

Infrastructural development

Solarized ranger post

RioThePhotographer

IT infrustructure - Server

RioThePhotographer

Installations such as electricity provision, servers and computers are necessary to rollout such technological solutions. In the current project, 35 ranger outposts were equipped with solar chargers and inverters to keep the mobile phones charged; a server and air conditioner were purchased and installed at a central server room; and two computers were purchased to support data processing and configuration of mobile devices. Further, the servers and computers were configured to facilitate creation of SMART databases (desktop and connect) and enable the rollout of data collection using SMART Mobile, submission through the server, processing at the desktop and sharing over SMART Connect.

Existing infrastructure - Establishment of infrastructure related to the project was complementary to existing installments such as, server room where the server was installed and usable buildings in ranger outposts for solar powering
Internal capacity - The organization had capacity in information technology (IT) and electricity to undertake installation without contracting external party

Take inventory and analyze gaps at the planning stage - To avoid gaps in equipment and facilities, it is necessary to have a complete list while designing the project. In the current study, additional costs were incurred to acquire electricity inverters which were not included in the original plan for solar power provision in ranger posts.
Internal capacity - Where possible, organizations can continuously enhance their capacity to absorb technological innovations. This reduces costs of installation and maintenance while ensuring sustainable management of adopted technologies.
Piloting before actual implementation - Most technological solutions will evolve based on gaps identified in the course of implementation. It is therefore important to conduct a trial to identify such gaps in time for appropriate action. In this project, internet coverage was found to be inadequate and a decision was made to use the GSM network by providing data bundles through SIM cards in the mobile phones.

Implementation

Monitoring

Local

Education and training of direct beneficiaries

This was meant to give hands on knowledge to the beneficiaries in accordance with the activities engaged in. The main targets were those who would benefit from alternative sources of income. already existing practitioners in aquaculture, apiary etc and the new ones alike were taken into consideration. Individuals, homesteads, member groups/associations were trained in categories; Fisheries, Apiary development, and Crop growers. different training sessions were organised for each category.
This helped members to know what awaits them, how to plan and manage it sustainably to improve their livelihoods.
Education and training was a continuous process throughout the implementation cycle of the project.

The technical team of the project included experts or officers in the respective areas/fields namely, The Entomologist for Apiary development projects, the Senior Agricutural Officer for crop growers and the Fisheries Officer for the Aquaculture projects.
The grant budget had sections of these trainings well facilitated.
There were already existing organized groups and individuals in the respective categories and some members were already involved in the ventures like aquaculture and apiary development.

Some members attended the meeting out of curiosity knowing that the project activities may negatively impact on their activities in the wetland since they were involved in illegal and destructive activities.
Expectations in terms in the beginning were so low, and the mood changed gradually after learning of the several benefits that the project was coming along with, including alternative sources of income.
There was a considerable number of individuals who showed interest in joining groups if there were any or just sharing on the benefits on individual benefit.

Implementation

Local

Sensitisation of potential beneficiaries and affected persons

Community Sensitization meeting

Deo Muhumuza

The purpose was to bring together all the affected persons, the potential beneficiaries and all the concerned community members, partners to introduce to them the project idea, its anticipated impacts both negative and positive, whilst explaining the responsibility of the community members their roles during the implementation. This was also meant to get the different views and ideas of members to aid the successful implementation of the activities of the project. It was also meant to share with the community members the relevant knowledge required to utilize the wetland and its various resources/products sustainably in order to live in harmony with nature. The engagement involved teaching the members the need for their participation for each step during implementation. Different individuals or households were engaged in different activities in the wetland. This sensitisation meeting further explored how each activity in the wetland can be carried out to minimize negative impacts and maximize positive impacts both economically and environmentally. A call for a community meeting was announced on radio, church gatherings and other media. This was a continuous activity throughout the implementation of the project.

The grant budget took into account communication expenses, plus conduction mass sensitization meetings.; refreshments were catered for.
The ability to reach every member of the community through local council leaders, mass gatherings including the initial project launch event that was used as another platform for passing the information.
The willingness of most members of the community to conserve natural resources especially those who were already organized in the community based environmental conservation organisation.

Some members attended the meeting out of curiosity knowing that the project activities may negatively impact on their activities in the wetland since they were involved in illegal and destructive activities.
Expectations in terms in the beginning were so low, and the mood changed gradually after learning of the several benefits that the project was coming along with, including alternative sources of income.

Inception phase

Implementation

Local