IFAW is increasing wildlife security in the Amboseli landscape by equipping community wildlife rangers with expertise and skills through training in human wildlife conflict mitigation and providing operation resources such as rations, salaries, GPS-equipment, uniforms and a patrol vehicle for use by the rangers.

IFAW also initiated an education scholarship to offer financial support to 60 students to pursue studies in high school, tertiary colleges and universities, and 50 community wildlife scouts. By providing education scholarships and wildlife ranger capacity building, IFAW ensures inclusive and equitable education and promotes lifelong learning opportunities and alternative livelihoods for the local community. 

IFAW is also working with local women to develop markets for income-generating activities such as beadwork and livestock management. By creating a boarding secondary school for girls and facilitating income generation among women, the project promotes gender equality and empowerment for all women and girls in Amboseli, thus, leaving no-one behind.

Amboseli National Park is home to some of Kenya’s largest elephant populations which depend on the surrounding community land for migration. In 2008, the land stakeholders recognized that the habitat loss threats, degradation, and fragmentation would lead to the loss of livelihoods and tourism revenue and opted to ensure the ecosystem’s sustainability. IFAW therefore partnered with relevant stakeholders to secure critical corridors and dispersal areas for elephants in community areas of the Amboseli landscape. To achieve this, IFAW implemented a multi-year commitment to secure 26,000 acres as wildlife migratory and dispersal land in the Amboseli landscape (the Kitenden Corridor, one of the last remaining elephant migratory corridors connecting Kenya and Tanzania).

KENVO mobilized the community institutions (CFAs and WRUAs) into an organized group and built their capacity to engage in PES. Further, awareness on policies was raised among the community upstream. To strengthen the CFAs and the WRUAs, they were trained in all aspects related to PES – policies, practices, rights, responsibilities, fund management, monitoring and compliance. 

Community consultation engagements were held with CFAs and WRUAs and produced actions plans. The main objectives of the action plans was support land use practices that improve water quantity and quality and capacity build the local community to secure catchment restoration through water payment services scheme. 

1)      Conservation has become an increasingly popular career choice for young people all over the world. But many conservation organizations complain that young graduates don’t have the right attitude or the real-word skills. Nature Seychelles created the Conservation Boot Camp (CBC) on Cousin Island Special Reserve to test if the island could be used as a laboratory to equip young people with conservation skills, while at the same time use the fees paid as a sustainable funding mechanism for the MPA. The program was financially supported by the GEF from April 2016 to December 2019. The GEF project pays for a full time CBC Coordinator, equipment, and materials and other.  The coordinator manages the application process, and receives and integrates participants into the program.  A conservation manager leads on conservation work, while the Chief Warden manages all the logistics. The CBC is exclusive and takes a maximum of 6 persons per session and takes place the whole year. Each session lasts for 4 weeks and costs Euro 1000.00 (not including airfares and food). A 2 week program was been introduced due to demand. Nature Seychelles is a Private Training and Educational Institution under Seychelles law and a Certificate of Completion is awarded at the end of the training. 

In Phase 4, a field study tests the methodology and performance of measures. The results of the study and all phases will be used to validate and standardize methods, and to advance development of visitation indicators and models.  Depending on the customized suite of methods developed in Phase 3, Phase 4 could contain a multitude of techniques that involve both on-site data collection via surveys and observations as well as data mining from existing sources or other agency activities.

In Phase 3, data from expert panel input are analyzed and gaps are identified. A methodology is designed specific to the sanctuary based on this analysis. This methodology is customized to each specific MPA setting, based upon data gathered through Phases 1 and 2, as well as feedback from managers and stakeholders to assess the confidence associated with specific sampling techniques.

Dredging, recognized as a serious threat to the marine turtles, was identified by IUCN as a priority.  IUCN, with experts from the Species Survival Commission’s Marine Turtle Specialist Group designed and developed a dredging protocol to be followed during port operations. These included installing turtle deflectors on all dredger drag-heads to help ensure turtles were not pulled into the dredger. Trained observers were assigned to all dredgers to monitor this process. These observers would check screens on inflow and overflow pipes on a 24/7 basis. These measures (deflectors, screens, and human observers) were put in place to ensure that the dredging was “turtle friendly”. Such measures were the first to have been put in place in the history of dredging activities in India.

Lighting was the second major threat identified because excess glare is known to distract turtle hatchlings as they instinctively move towards brightly lit areas and away from the sea. For this, the IUCN Commission experts provided specific guidelines for the port’s lighting plan, which was adopted by the port authorities. IUCN further supported Tata Steel in identifying the right design for these lights. Today, Dhamra Port is the first and only port in India to have installed “turtle friendly” lighting.

The exclusiveness of these private islands means that they get a particular clientele that keeps returning for holidays at these places - some are known as repeated guests for over 15 years. Setting up a philanthropic club exclusively for selected guests allows them to donate to a conservation fund that will support the island’s protected area . 

Secondly, unique high-quality merchandise was developed together with local artisans, with the aim of offering signature products exclusively available at these islands, and generating a premium price. A collaboration was forged with Roots Seychelles, who specifically designed textile products inspired by local culture and techniques. Selected pareos were made for clientele of Denis Island that would portray both the environment and colors of the island. 

Another revenue generating program developed was the ‘plant-a-tree’ scheme where guests were invited to plant a tree to commemorate important life events such as a wedding, anniversary or birth, and thereafter made a donation to support the earmarked protected area or environment protection activities of the island. A commemorative plaque with any message requested by the guest is engraved, includeing the date of planting, and the tree species planted. 

Establishment of the National park had some specific impact on the communities living in the valley, such as limitation of access to the fuelwood and aggravation of human-wildlife conflict.

The classic approach used by the PA system to address both scenarios would be based on control and penalization of illegal activities. However, the project approach was to try to address the root cause of the issues and thus reduce the basis for conflict between the MNP and local communities.

In the fuelwood case, the project has initiated activities that try to reduce overall demand though increased efficiency of use and fuelwood alternatives. In close consultation with local households, the project assessed potential alternatives, practically tested and demonstrated the chosen options with households, and on that basis disseminated results and encouraged replication.

Likewise, in the case of human/wildlife conflict issue, the project approach was to test methods to mitigate the problem by assessing the situation and testing approaches that are selected after an evaluation of practicality and feasibility.

In both cases, a key aspect was the direct involvement of the MNP Administration so that they can become seen as part of the solution to local households problems, rather than a cause.

Pasture management Planning in Tajikistan

Overgrazing, especially in the immediate vicinity of villages puts significant pressure on the communal pasture lands and leads to serious land degradation. This land degradation puts the livelihood and food security of the rural Tajik population at risk. Despite the adoption of the pasture law in 2013 (which sets the framework), community-based controlled grazing mechanisms are not yet widespread. Main reasons are the absence of by-laws and weak law enforcement. Sustainable pasture management planning is consequently a crucial tool to be applied by pasture users.