The consultant conducted a desk survey which included reviewing the existing C-CAM funding plan prepared in 2015 looking at the gaps, especially in light of the impacts of COVID-19; looking at similar organizations to see what mechanisms they have in place; focusing on the practicality of the implementation actions suggested in the plan to determine if the goals were achievable or realistic and what would be needed to make them more so as well as if the actions would achieve those goals. The consultant also had to look at what had changed since 2015 and consider what prevented the implementation of the plan at a more practical level
The consultant needed to have access to the 2015 plan. The consultant needed to be able to freely have discussions with team members regarding their knowledge of the plan and their feedback as to why the plan worked or did not work. Team members needed to be accessible as well as willing and able to freely provide the information needed by the consultant.
An inception session with the team would have been helpful in ensuring all players understood what was being requested and how we would all benefit from the exchanges with the consultant. It would also have given the consultant a global view of where the organization was.
It would have also been useful to do anonymous surveys with team members to get their feedback on what is in the plan or what should be in the updated plan which would have allowed for more frank and open input
Development of a compelling Operational & Biosecurity Plan
Kamaka sunset
Island Conservation
There were two important steps before starting the implementation of the project:
The development of an Operational Plan, which consisted of Rat eradication Methodology, Team Roles, Schedules, List of Gear & Materials.
The development of a Biosecurity Plan, which was shared with the local owners of Kamaka. The plan describes preventive measures - what to do to avoid bringing back rats or other invasive species on the island.
The development of an operational plan (including rigorous planning) was very important to prepare the project. Without this plan, we would not have been able to organize the logistics and coordinate the schedules of the different teams from SOP Manu, Island Conservation and Envico. SOP Manu's role was to organize local logistics and the fieldwork with hiring local team members, while Island Conservation brought in their expertise on rat eradication projects and ENVICO technologies (drone company) were the ones who were the technical experts flying the drone.
Had it not been for the delay in reopening the NZ borders, we could have organized better the logistics of this project.
We learned that even with an operational plan, a very thorough communication effort has to be made between the different structures for organizing this type of project that requires a lot of logistical support.
The SAGE Assessment is a participatory process involving all the key stakeholders of the conservancy. Identification of stakeholders was carried out at the planning phase of the assessment. This stakeholder mapping was spearheaded by the SAGE consultant and involved Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association (KWCA), Taita Taveta Wildlife Conservancies Association (KWCA landscape level Association working within Tsavo Landscape) and Amboseli Ecosystem Trust (KWCA Landscape level Association working within Amboseli Landscape). The following stakeholder groups were identified and invited for the assessment workshops: Conservancy management, Conservancy Investors, Youth, Men, Women and Board. The assessments were attended by a total of 99 participants.
Each assessment was followed by a synthesis workshop where each group selected two to three representatives to attend the synthesis workshop. The findings of the assessment workshops were presented at the synthesis workshop and ideas for action were discussed. A total of 46 stakeholders from two conservancies attended the synthesis workshop.
The engagement of all relevant stakeholders in the SAGE ensures that stakeholders are all heard and invested in the actions that they collectively decide on.
The collaborative identification of the stakeholders made it possible to exhaustively map all the key stakeholders
Clustering of stakeholders according to common interest created safe spaces for all (especially women and youth) to openly and productively dialogue on the governance status of the conservancies
The self-assessment character of SAGE tool fostered community ownership of the process and the identified actions for implementation
Effective stakeholders engagement plays a key role in ensuring shared understanding of project scope as well as fostering a collaborative approach to project implementation
Clustering stakeholders according to interests is a key ingredient to unrestricted and productive discussions especially by those who may be marginalized in terms of governance and decision making processes
Effective stakeholders engagements enhances ownership of project implementation processes and products
Representation of the areas covered by the drone patrols. Three main take of spots where used (represented with a drone icon), used to cover a long area of more than km. In orange the flightpath in the MPA of Murdeira, in green the MPA of Costa Fragata an
C:\Users\artur\Documents\Biopama\drone
Use of advanced drone technology with thermal and infra-red imaging allows greater capture of infractions within the targeted areas, as well as the ability to travel further distances for longer time. This technology allows greater distances to be covered with less resources required, for example, more isolated nesting beaches that would require a larger team of people for security reasons, or more complex logistics in locating teams to those beaches.
Intensive training, or recruitment of a qualified person(s), to use this advanced technology is essential. In this case the drone pilots had previous experience in night flights using thermal imaging so were able to quickly learn how best to use and understand the new infra-red camera imaging. It is also essential that the persons have knowledge of the target area and experience in navigating within the area, both via drone and by vehicle.
Advanced technology is useful in itself but is much more effective when partnered with conservative techniques. In this case, whilst the drone patrol was effective in covering a large area, quickly, it was unable to fly over the full time period (all night). Therefore, when combined with foot patrols, it enhanced coverage within the MPA and allowed for greater protection withing the MPA and it’s surrounding isolated beaches. It is also important to consider that whilst the drone could quickly and easily reach isolated areas, when infractions were discovered, the response of the suitable people (either foot patrols or authorities) was much slower, allowing for poachers to escape being detained. Whilst effective for deterrent of poaching, which was an advantage in this case, for other contexts this may be a strong factor in planning the strategy.
