Implementation | PANORAMA

Educating the public

The park has established a complete geological site monitoring system, updating interpretation board more than 1200 panels, using easy-to-understand language and illustrated way to explain the typical geological site.We also take annual Earth Day, Environment Day and China Geopark Science Popularization Week as opportunities to hold theme science popularization education activities in the park, such as issuing leaflets, accepting public consultation, giving lectures on geological environmental for primary and secondary school students, and organizing science popularization tours. The idea is to increase awareness among people, which is very important for the public to understand geological sites.

As the public does not have a deep understanding of the high quality geological relic resources in this region, the park needs to strengthen the popularization of science and has the obligation to popularize to the public what geological relic is, what kind of tourism value and scientific value it has, so that the public can better understand our Mother Earth, love and protect the Earth.

To educate the public, we should educate our staff first. For staff, training has boraden their range of knowledge and also increased their passion for work. By doing so, the dedicated staff will provide vivid explanation during the guide tour. The tourists will not only learn the natural landscape but also enjoy the interactive and enthusiastic tours.

Implementation

Monitoring

Local

Training staff in monitoring skills

The geological monitoring system provides a training platform to advance the technical ability of the staff.Through the operation of the monitoring system and the combination of on-site monitoring points, the staff has learned the monitoring technology of geological relics and its standard system, and has further deepened the understanding and recognition of the development law, geological background and evolution process of geological relics.

In the past, the only monitoring work the monitoring staff could do was systematic operation because of lack of professional knowledge. We not only upgraded the monitoring systems but also provided training workshops to our staff, covering topic range from law to scientific management. The workshops have enhanced their monitoring skills. With solid knowledge, the staff have also provided high quality guide to the visitors.

The original system installed did not consider the possibility of upgrading the facilities. We found malfunctions after we tried to incorporate high-tech such as cloud platform.After increasing investment to upgrade the system, stable and reliable video monitoring and early warning system could be implemented for each point of geological remains. Through safe, scientific and effective management, by implementing all-weather, omni-directional 24 hours for live monitoring and early warning and personnel record, we have achieved the goal of strengthening on-site supervision and safety management; have improved the quality of service, have made our management work more standardized, scientific, accurate, intelligent, and informative, which provides a strong guarantee for the safety of tourists.

Implementation

Monitoring

Local

Community prosperity through developing nature-based tourism

Ecotourism in Iberá wetlands

Matías Rebak

The well-being of the communities close to the parks is essential for the success of our strategy. Complete, functioning and healthy ecosystems will not only assure important environmental services like clean water, clean air and the mitigation of floods, but they also offer new opportunities to develop sustainable economies.

These areas usually have great potential, but they also face important threats. The ecosystems are usually degraded and are not considered locally as a source of opportunity or income. Also, these places on the edges of protected areas usually have populations with high level of poverty and high rates of out-migration to big cities.

We work along with these communities to create a path to a new sustainable economy, directly linked to opportunities that come from the creation of new protected areas and to the return of wildlife. We act to empower community leaders and women, strengthen the connection of the youth to their homeland and their environment, train people in new trades and build relationships based on trust and respect.

Work together with local communities and local, provincial and national governments in the development of tourism “circuits” that offer spectacular landscape as well as wildlife-viewing experiences, at gateways, or entrances, to the protected areas or parks.

Empower and build the capacity of local entrepreneurs with trainings and workshops, so that they can be the first to benefit from these new activities based on wildlife and nature. Finally, promote these destinations and experiences to a broad public to attract tourists.

Nature-based tourism has been growing globally at rates of more than 4% per year, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Charismatic fauna, including large predators, are becoming increasingly important. In the Brazilian Pantanal, the world’s largest wetland, wildlife viewing — mostly of jaguars — generated an annual revenue millions of dollars per year; many times the revenue obtained from traditional cattle ranching in that region.

Implementation

Local

Subnational

Large Parks creation

The donation of Cambyretá nucleus as part of the Iberá National Park

National Parks Administration

The national and provincial parks are public spaces that have the most effective legal protection for the conservation of biodiversity. It is for this reason that our organization strives to acquire and donate land to the nation and to the provinces to create parks. Ours is an unprecedented process whereby large private areas of land, that were degraded and closed to the public, are restored and passed into the hands of the State, and are open to all to be visited and enjoyed.

These spaces invite us to connect with nature through wildlife watching and other outdoor experiences.

- Large portions of preserved natural ecosystems, either already public or private that could be acquired.

-Public authorities understanding the need to create protected areas, both by the beneffits to nature and to people through a healthy ecosystem and economical beneffits from ecotourism development

-Public access to guarantee the visitation of these areas

Additionally, we found that relating the creation of parks to local development is a useful way to gain support from politicians, top-level decision-makers and neighbors. We discovered that, in order to make the public feel as part of the project and protected areas, we needed to acknowledge their role and impact on the program’s results. In this way, people felt like active participants in teh creation of protected areas, species recovery, adopting and supporting the project’s goals.

Implementation

Local

Subnational

Rewilding for restoring key species and their ecological roles in a degraded ecosystem

Jaguars roaming free in Iberá

Magalí Longo

We developed the Iberá Rewilding Program, aimed at
re-establishing sustainable populations of all locally extirpated
fauna. These reintroductions are mainly aimed to advance ecological restoration instead of individual species endangered recovery. Also, focusing in the restoration of key species which effect in the ecosystem is stronger, we guarantee the restoration of their role and the recovery of a healthy and balanced ecosystem

- Planning, feasibility assessments and permits

-Source of animals

- Quarantine phase and hand-rearing

-Pre-release phase

-Release of individuals

- Individuals monitoring

- Reintroduced population monitoring and demographic evaluation

- Demographic assessment

- Communication and program evaluation

We recognize two main organizational strengths that have
helped us to achieve our rewilding results in Iberá: the availability of large areas of high-quality and well-protected habitat for
released animals (some of which were owned and managed by us),
and the existence of long-term funding that allowed us to work
for more than 10 years. These advantages are not always available
to reintroduction projects, which usually face difficulties in habitat
and funding availability.

Planning phase

Implementation

Monitoring

Documentation and dissemination of results

Local

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Our model explained

Risk communication

The moderated picture book format was intended to facilitate a community-led conversation about reducing risk from contact with animals. Careful consideration was given in the text to ensure that bats were never characterized as carriers of disease, with attributions being made instead to infectious fluids of infected bats. These considerations are aimed at balancing the bat conservation message alongside harm reduction messaging, and avoiding fear-based rhetoric in conveying risk communication.

The communication strategy was supported by the One Health approach of the project. By prioritizing bat conservation along with the health and well-being of the human communities, the risk communication was focused on building knowledge and preventing spillover.

Risk communication was better received when approached with a community-led perspective. Local context was essential to ensuring the risks being discussed were accurate to the region and communities and the solutions proposed were both feasible and desired by the community. Ensuring the community had ownership over the discussions and overall process enabled for the best solutions to be generated and implemented across the project.

Implementation

Local

Collaboration across knowledge domains and sectors

While managed by a central technical and design team, the picture book, entitled Living Safely with Bats, is a product of a multi-country, multi-disciplinary collaboration. From inception to distribution, every effort was made to incorporate the cultural contexts, local knowledge, and technical expertise from within the consortium, which included social scientists, veterinarians, clinicians, ecologists and epidemiologists from all of the countries in which the book was intended for the first round of implementation.

Open and clear communication channels ensured that previously siloed sectors were able to collaborate and share ideas. The PREDICT team often served as the bridge between diverse stakeholders, identifying areas of overlap and bringing together local and international actors to develop locally-relevant guidance, strategies, and solutions.

Allowing local stakeholders to guide discussions on needs, context, and optimal outcomes allowed for context specific plans to be crafted in the design and dissemination. Technical experts were then able to contribute input to ensure the scientific background was up-to-date and high safety standards were adhered to. These collaborations resulted in positive outcomes for both the communities being served and the bats in need of protection.

Implementation

Local

Utilizing local knowledge

The content was developed to be broadly applicable and accessible to communities living near natural bat habitats. While concepts were broadly applicable, the images and text were also adapted to specific local cultural contexts so as to be locally relevant. The picture book’s content was divided into 6 key modules that addressed the topics identified as most relevant by local stakeholders and subject matter experts. A modular format was integral for the various teams to be able to adapt to differing presentation contexts (e.g. short meetings, multi-day workshops) as well as differing risk compositions (e.g. hunting communities, communities with or without bat tourism). Trusted community leaders, such as village elders or community health agents, were identified as individuals who could best fulfill the moderator role as they serve as powerful local actors in combatting rumors and disinformation.

To ensure the content of the bat book was accurately representative of the local culture, input and direction was taken from local leaders and stakeholders. Established relationships between the international PREDICT team and the local actors enabled successful translations and community uptake across numerous countries around the world.

While the overarching concepts communicated in the bat book are derived from global scientific studies, the communication of this information is best done through a local language and format. In addition to the translation of text, the pictures were updated to represent the local community and feedback was collected on diagrams to ensure the message was easily understood. The essential information communicated through the bat book is more readily trusted and accepted by communities when they have a stake in its creation and direction.

Implementation

Local

Technical Training for Seagrass Restoration and Dugong Rescue and Release for Forest Department (Since 2017)

Seagrass Restoration and Dugong Conservation Orientation for Tamil Nadu Forest Department

omcar

Presentation about seagrass restoration and dugong rescue and release

omcar

Museum helps to know about the diversity of seagrass associated animals collected from local coast (Palk Bay)

omcar

Forest officers learn about Molluscs associated with seagrass environment in Palk Bay

omcar

Demo of seagrass transplantation for forest officers

omcar

Demonstration of seagrass acoustic survey equipments

omcar

After a decade of technical and in-situ conservation experience in dugongs and seagrasses, OMCAR received recognition from Tamil Nadu Government to organize technical orientation sessions for the newly recruited trainees of Range Officers, Foresters, and Guards at our center. Since 2017, our organization received about 2500 trainees of Tamil Nadu Forest Academy cadres for organizing training sessions. Our team shares explain of the seagrass acoustic mapping methodology, seagrass restoration methods using eco-friendly cost-effective materials, how to rescue and release the dugongs, and how the networking and capacity building of fisher volunteers is effective in the conservation of dugongs, and restoration of seagrass beds. OMCAR has been providing this service on a nonprofit basis.

Technical knowledge of eco-friendly and low-cost seagrass restoration methods in our team.
Technical knowledge on seagrass mapping using acoustic technology in our team.
Experience in networking and enabling the volunteer network for responding to dugong strandings, rescue, and release.

Long-term efforts in developing grassroots conservation techniques can be recognized and benefit the Government.
Technical expertise and experience are invaluable assets for grassroots conservation organizations.

Implementation

Local

Subnational

Seagrass Restoration Training for Forest Department

Partnership Across Sectors

When it was announced that the Galo tract would be developed into a residential area it concerned parties from multiple sectors. Conservationists and bat scientists saw this plan as creating a human-wildlife conflict where there was not one previously, presenting threats to the health and wellbeing of both nature and the human populations. Local government, in particular City Council member Ron Nirenberg, had expressed concerns about the plan mainly focused on the nearby aquifer and the region’s drinking water. To fully assess the major trade-offs of the residential development plan, local government took the step of unifying diverse partners and their cross-cutting interests. By finding common ground in the end goal of preserving the area surrounding the Bracken Bat Cave, stakeholders from diverse sectors were able to transform their individual concerns into a large-scale mutual interest.

Though the group of stakeholders that came together to purchase the Galo tract, including groups with previously conflicting interests, had separate motivations, their openness to collaboration allowed them to find common ground. By recognizing their mutual interest and identifying where their concerns intersected a partnership was developed and a shared goal was achieved.

All stakeholders involved in this project had their own individual concerns with the residential development planned for the area surrounding the Bracken Bat Cave. While each issue, including but not limited to water safety, wildlife conservation, and human health risks, was troubling in and of itself, no lone stakeholder could create a strong enough case to prevent the development from moving forward. The local government recognized the value in collaboration and created a space for previously siloed sectors to come together. By developing partnerships where there were previously gaps, particularly between the environmental and human health sectors, the larger solution of purchasing the land and creating a preservation was made possible.