Challenges facing the introduction of SMART patrols in a game reserve, western Tanzania

Wilfred, Paulo; Kayeye, H; Magige, Flora J.; Kisingo, Alex; Nahonyo, Cuthbert L.

doi:10.1111/aje.12634

Cited by 8 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…The place of technology and equipment in curbing unauthorised hunting is reported in the wildlife conservation literature (Kamminga et al, 2018; López & Mulero‐Pázmány, 2019). We suspect that the reason why resource managers considered inadequate equipment and technology the most important factor for unauthorised hunting is also because they face a very high patrol workload given the limited number of rangers and large area to cover (see Wilfred et al, 2019). The literature suggests a positive relationship between the number of rangers and patrol efficiency in protected areas (Moore et al, 2018; Plumptre et al, 2014; Singh et al, 2020); so, it is not surprising that resource managers were concerned that the number of rangers did not reflect the size of Ugalla, especially in the partially protected areas where patrols were rarely conducted.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We calculated percentages of patrols, observations and individual signs of hunting in dry and wet seasons to appreciate seasonal changes in deterrence and observations of unauthorised hunting. We used ArcGIS v. 10.1 (ESRI, 2012, Redlands, CA, USA) to map spatial distribution of patrols and observations in dry and wet seasons (see Wilfred et al, 2019 for details).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Resource managers' and users' perspectives on factors contributing to unauthorised hunting in western Tanzania

et al. 2022

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Unauthorised use of natural resources is one of the challenges facing protected areas in Africa. Understanding factors influencing this behaviour can help improve the efficiency of conservation efforts. We conducted focus group discussions with authorised resource users and managers in the Ugalla ecosystem of western Tanzania to determine factors facilitating and motivating unauthorised hunting. The two groups of study participants had different perspectives on the subject. Resource managers dwelt on factors facilitating hunting, for example, inadequate patrol resources and impassable patrol roads. On the other hand, resource users discussed both motivating factors, for example, limited income‐generating opportunities; and facilitating factors, some of which were also mentioned by resource managers (e.g., poorly managed hunting cases). There was also variability in how study participants perceived the importance of different factors. Some factors were perceived as highly important but mentioned less frequently and others were mentioned often but ranked low. Some were mentioned by both resource managers and users with the same frequency but ranked differently (e.g., the management of unauthorised hunting cases). Overall, we suggest considering the views of people with different interests in natural resources to comprehensively understand the factors that influence unauthorised hunting for improved conservation outcomes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resource managers' and users' perspectives on factors contributing to unauthorised hunting in western Tanzania

et al. 2022

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“…As land cover data are updated, CT, in turn, updates suitable chimpanzee habitat. Village Game Scouts (VGS) patrol and collect data on forest degradation, agricultural activity, poaching incidents, and chimpanzee sightings or nests using a SMART (spatial monitoring and reporting tool) [64]. As VGS patrols add to the collection of chimpanzee data over time, these data can be used to further refine or update the SDM.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Combining Deforestation and Species Distribution Models to Improve Measures of Chimpanzee Conservation Impacts of REDD: A Case Study from Ntakata Mountains, Western Tanzania

Dickson¹,

Baker²,

Bonnin

et al. 2020

Forests

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Projects to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) are designed to reduce carbon emissions through avoided deforestation and degradation, and in many cases, to produce additional community and biodiversity conservation co-benefits. While these co-benefits can be significant, quantifying conservation impacts has been challenging, and most projects use simple species presence to demonstrate positive biodiversity impact. Some of the same tools applied in the quantification of climate mitigation benefits have relevance and potential application to estimating co-benefits for biodiversity conservation. In western Tanzania, most chimpanzees live outside of national park boundaries, and thus face threats from human activity, including competition for suitable habitat. Through a case study of the Ntakata Mountains REDD project in western Tanzania, we demonstrate a combined application of deforestation modelling with species distribution models to assess forest conservation benefits in terms of avoided carbon emissions and improved chimpanzee habitat. The application of such tools is a novel approach that we argue permits the better design of future REDD projects for biodiversity co-benefits. This approach also enables project developers to produce the more manageable, accurate and cost-effective monitoring, reporting and verification of project impacts that are critical to verification under carbon standards.

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“…There has been growing use of SMART (https://smartconservationtools.org/) technology to monitor anti‐poaching patrols in many wildlife areas (Moreto, 2015; Stokes, 2010; Wilfred, Kayeye, Magige, Kisingo, & Nahonyo, 2019). SMART has been widely adopted to monitor law enforcement efforts and allow adaptive management in the conservation of wildlife resources (Kuiper, Kavhu, Ms, Mandisodza‐Chikerema, & Milner‐Gulland, 2020; Lynam, Singh, & Chimuti, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although SMART implementation has grown in different countries, in developing countries such as Zimbabwe, it is still in its infancy. Lack of capacity on emerging technology and resources to support the technology are the key problems in adopting SMART over the traditional (paper-based) systems (Wilfred et al, 2019). This has been the case for some protected areas in the Mid-Zambezi Valley (MZV).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) in Mid‐Zambezi Valley, Zimbabwe: Implementation challenges and practices

Kavhu

Mpakairi

2021

Conservat Sci and Prac

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Biodiversity monitoring and data‐management technologies can enhance the protection of persecuted species, such as African elephants (Loxodonta africana), through providing management‐relevant information. Implementing these technologies, however, often presents several capacity and resource challenges for field staff in protected areas. In the Mid‐Zambezi Valley, Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZPWMA) is in the process of adopting the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) as law enforcement and data management tool for adaptive management. With the support of several conservation partners, ZPWMA was able to acquire SMART equipment (computers and handheld cyber‐tracker devices) as well as train rangers and officers on how to use SMART in the region. Following the training and provision of SMART equipment, most protected areas (6 out of 7) in the Mid‐Zambezi Valley have adopted SMART for law enforcement and relevant data are being collected. This study draws from the first‐hand experience of training workshops, interviews with field staff, observations from support visits, and discussions with conservation partners in the Zambezi Valley. We observed that the introduction of SMART was marred by (a) technical and capacity challenges, (b) behavioral and human dynamics challenges, and (c) resources challenges. These were linked to ineptness among patrol rangers and officers, discomfort with the new technology, and uneven distribution of resources to implement SMART. To help overcome some of the challenges, we propose the development of an integrated SMART implementation plan, motivation of field staff, learning from implementation models of institutions that have successfully implemented SMART, and the provision of more SMART equipment.

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Challenges facing the introduction of SMART patrols in a game reserve, western Tanzania

Cited by 8 publications

References 27 publications

Resource managers' and users' perspectives on factors contributing to unauthorised hunting in western Tanzania

Resource managers' and users' perspectives on factors contributing to unauthorised hunting in western Tanzania

Combining Deforestation and Species Distribution Models to Improve Measures of Chimpanzee Conservation Impacts of REDD: A Case Study from Ntakata Mountains, Western Tanzania

Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) in Mid‐Zambezi Valley, Zimbabwe: Implementation challenges and practices

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