Measures
In cooperation with our local project partner, the African Wildlife Foundation, we will implement several measures in order to coordinate anti-poaching efforts between Kenya and Tanzania more efficiently, reduce wildlife conflicts with the local population, and support the conservation activities through better monitoring of elephant populations in the project area.
For enhancing trans-boundary cooperation, joint meetings for relevant institutions and organizations will take place on a regular basis. This will not only improve experience sharing and coordination between local players in the area. Moreover, these meetings provide an opportunity to share insights and recommendations with high level government officials and might eventually enhance coordination and communication on a national scale. Against this background, a high-level meeting between governmental representatives from Kenya and Tanzania will be organized to share coordination experiences, promote replication and improve wildlife policies in the two countries.
In the course of these joint meetings we also strive for the establishment of cooperative cross border patrols that will be conducted by teams of rangers and Game Scouts, wildlife activists from local communities. The enhanced cooperation on both sides of the border is going to make legal prosecution and the assignment of cases a lot easier. Moreover, if a poaching incident is detected, consulting experienced teams with tracking dogs will be faster and more effective than before.
Game Scouts do not only support rangers, but they are also an important bridge to the local population, with whom they are in close contact. As a result of their great integration in local communities they can gather important up-to-date information about poachers and wildlife conflicts. Then, they are able to trigger concrete measures by sharing those important information with rangers or other authorities, who can initiate further steps and take action.
Besides fighting poaching activities in the project area, conflict potentials between wildlife and residents shall be reduced with awareness campaigns and by providing alternative courses of action. Community members will be trained by Game Scouts to use human wildlife conflict mitigation measures and technologies in order to avoid dangerous incidents on their own. The construction of predator-proof kraals for livestock are further possibility to facilitate a harmonic coexistence of wildlife and herders in the region.