Using traditional nighttime techniques, BRI researchers captured chicks 5-8 weeks old from source lakes. Once chicks are in hand, a BRI attending veterinarian performs a physical examination and administers fluids to prevent dehydration during transport.
Extensive knowledge and expertise in capturing and determining age of chicks.
Innovative techniques to transport the chicks long distances. To keep chicks calm and healthy enroute to the relocation site, BRI staff designed vented containers fitted with suspended mesh netting to protect the loon’s keel and feet and to allow excrement to fall through.
The transport carriers reduce the risk of injury during long trips and help preserve feather quality. Cold packs beneath the mesh help chicks from overheating.
In 1974, New Hampshire marked the southern edge of the range for Common Loons, and at the time that range was retracting. Recovery efforts carried out by loon conservation groups in New Hampshire and Vermont helped restore loon populations in those states.
In Massachusetts, extirpation has made recovery in that state much slower. Currently, loon recovery in Massachusetts is still dependent on breeding success in northern New England and New York. BRI’s translocation research being carried out in Massachusetts provides an example of how a population at the edge of its range can be restored.
Working with state and local agencies as well as lake landowners helped facilitate the process of identifying restoration sites and source populations.
Collaboration of appropriate authorities and creating a team
Visit of Officials to Lésio-Louna Reserve
The Aspinall Foundation
Effective collaboration with the relevant authorities in the Republic of Congo is a key element to the project. This is not limited to permission to carry out conservation work in country, but is also important for the long-term relationships required, including the joint patrols of the reserve and enforcement of laws and regulations that are essential for long-term management of a protected or conservation area. Team composition is also extremely important and the Aspinall Congo team are almost entirely Congolese.
A strong team formed of Congolese nationals who understand the systems and processes in country.
Good communication, and development of mutual trust and respect are important to successful relationships.
The fight against poaching, illegal trade and killing of wild animals.
The fight against the poaching of endangered species: here recovery of a Barbary macaque to return it to its group.
El Alami
Poaching poses serious threats to wildlife conservation and efforts at preserving wildlife through the establishment of protected areas are under threat by poaching of wildlife in the central High Atlas of Morocco. The enforcement of the existing law against illegal capturing, empoisoning and killing of wild encouraged the authorities to participate actively in the protection of wild species and to enforce the law in certain cases. Raising awareness among residents and creating jobs in ecotourism and geotourism also participate in the fight against poaching. For example, in the Ouzoud site, the fight against poaching and the trade of macaques was one of the main factors responsible for the Barbary macaque population increase. We have actively participated since 2008 in collaboration with local authorities in the fight against illegal work (poaching, tree felling, etc.). We worked with some residents to obtain the necessary information on this work. in this context, we took part in stopping certain wild animal capture operations and we released a large number of animals in their original habitats.
In recent years, local people have actively participated in the fight against poaching and the wildlife trade. The ecological and economical roles of wildlife in ecosystems have been more widely appreciated among local people in the central High Atlas of Morocco. The creation of employment in ecotourism and in the field of medicinal plants has encouraged the inhabitants to participate in the fight against work with a negative impact on ecosystems.
Poaching and trade in wild animals is practiced mainly by young habitats who have no work and who have no ideas about the consequences of these activities on wild populations. Integrating these people into development projects can transform them into protectors of wildlife. Helping people find jobs and helping them improve their ecological knowledge will help conserve habitats.
Scientific research benefits wildlife conservation
Sientific research and Wildlife conservation: Here we studied the impact of pollution on the Otter population.
El Alami
Sientific research on Lutra lutra
El Alami
Sientific research on the African wolf
El Alami
Sientific research on the Endangered Barbary Macaque Species
El Alami
Conduction of scientific research on the effects of human activities on wildlife allowed us to better understand the effects of humans on wild animal populations. Today, we are the only who carry out scientific studies on biodiversity in the central High Atlas. The solutions proposed consist in encouraging research institutions to participate in these scientific studies and to study other zoological groups.
Scientific research is essential for conservation as it helps establish solutions based on scientific results. For example, we have shown that hunting currently used in Morocco to limit the growth of wild boar populations has, on the contrary, a postive impact on wild boars and that the conservation of wild boar predators is the best method to regulate wild boar populations. We have also shown that poaching affects populations of the Barbary macaque, Cuvier's gazelle, and of other species. The prohibition of poaching and the sensitization of habitats were the main causes for the increase in the Barbary macaque population in the site of Ouzoud, Morocco.
The central High Atlas Mountains have a great diversity of habitats and of plant and animal species . This area is home to a variety of animal species, especially mammals with more than 24 wild mammal species and more than 120 birds.
Scientific studies allow us to understand the factors responsible for species declines and to develop appropriate solutions.
Education to raise the awareness of the local people about the wildlife conservation
El Alami
Education sessions at the Kharezmi High School, Souk Sebt, Morocco.
El Alami
Conservation behaviors are considered essential actions that tremendously influence ecosystems. Environmental behaviors are essential to ecological conservation and to environmental protection.It is important to involve the citizens in the domain of the conservation of the environment and biodiversity conservation. Our scientific studies revealed that the respondents reported a lower level of practices in the conservation of species. Solutions have been initiated, the most important of which is to educate the inhabitants to encourage them to conserve the species. Education sessions were carried out by the author and his collaborators during the two las decades with local inhabitants, students, associations and authorities. As part of their scientific research, they visited most of the villages. They discuss with people the ecological and economic roles of biodiversity and the importance of conserving it.
In recent years, the roles of wild animals in their ecosystems have been more widely appreciated and today, the management of biodiversity is a priority for the Moroccan Government, authorities, NGO and civil society.
The local people opinion plays a vital role in the conservation of biodiversity and environment. In general, when inhabitants understand the ecological and economic roles of wild fauna, they spontaneously participate in its conservation.
Developing effective local people-wildlife conflict mitigation strategies
Carcass of a the the African wolf Canis lupus lupaster killed by inhabitants and and involvement of residents raising awareness of their ecological consequences.
El Alami
Biodiversity in the central High Atlas proteted areas
El Alami
The human-local people conflict may act as factors in the decline of biodiversity. Our scientific studies showed that there is an increasing in the local people-wildlife conflict in the central High Atlas.The predation of livestock (carnivore species) and Crop raiding (wild boar, Barbary macaque, etc.) are the main causes of the local people-wildlife conflict and of negative attitudes toward the wild species. Several techniques were proposed to reduce the risk of depredation of livestock by wilds predators and and the risk of crop damage by Herbivorous species:
- 1. Education to raise the awareness of the local people about the ecological and economical roles of wildlife and provide the public with information on the benefits of wild animals and their ecological and economical roles.
2. Encourage residents to use some techniques to protect livestock and to keep wild animals away, such as a livestock guard dogs, prompt and proper disposal of livestock carcasses to eliminate attractants that could draw carnivores, and monitoring and pasturing of livestock and fields.
3. We are currently preparing a compensation programs to assist local people by reimbursing them for losses attributable to wild canids.
1. The contributor is a researcher who was born and lived in the central High Atlas for 40 years. He is known in the region, which facilitates the transmission of messages about biodiversity conservation. He communicates with the local inhabitants through the Tamazight language, which is the native language of the contributor. He also participates in several educational, cultural and scientific activities in this region.
2. The central High Atlas encompass an area of 10 502 km² and have a rich and varied biological diversity.
Education and the awareness-Raising Session for Local Officials and Communities on the Importance of wildlife conservation, and the use of possible and simple techniques to keep wild animals away mitigate the conflict between local people and wildlife and and it resulted the conservation of species and habitats .