Project Update: November 2005

We are pleased to report that two training workshops for Wildlife Committee and Wildlife Club members were held from 10th-14th October and from 17th-21st October 2005 respectively. Altogether, 63 people attended the two workshops. The aim of the workshops was to train the members relevant skills and knowledge used in wildlife monitoring and surveying techniques as fundamental resource for wildlife conservation. Members learned that some of the modern monitoring and surveying techniques such as radio-colar tagging, notching, tree barking and painting are expensive and unsustainable.

Therefore, members were taught non-invasive monitoring techniques such footprint identification technique (FIT), droppings count technique (DCT) and Nesting Counting Technique (NCT). Further, members were also taught that vegetation is monitored using transect walks technique and systematic or random sampling technique. Further, members were taught some of the surveying techniques such as population census technique, aerial survey technique for animals in winter, vocal cords technique and road side survey technique.

At the end of the two workshops, the participants assure the project team that they would perform their duties in a professional manner to ensure effective wildlife conservation of the cheetah and other wildlife in Kasungu Wildlife Reserve.