20 Jul 2016

Data collection and management is key to wildlife population trends assessment, the Department of Wildlife and National Park (DWNP) deputy director, Dr Cyril Taolo, has said.

Speaking at the launch of the Standardised Wildlife Monitoring Protocols of wildlife species and website launch by South African Regional Environmental Program (SAREP) in Maun on July 14, Dr Taolo said the tool would bring more results as it has the involvement of concessionaires from the Okavango community in data collection.

The Standard Wildlife Monitoring Protocol which is currently piloted around the Okavango Delta, is  a great milestone in the management of trends of wildlife species populations, he said.

He pointed out that the standardised monitoring protocol was a result of a report on wildlife species population trends around the Okavango Delta in 2012, with some species reportedly declining while other species were reported to be doing well.

A workshop in 2012 regarding the matter, he said resulted in the DWNP taking prudent steps which included the stoppage of hunting and other remedial steps to address the issue.

Dr Taolo said the standardised monitoring protocol would be rolled out to other parts of the country.

He appreciated the involvement of SAREP which has been working with DWNP in the past four years and ensured training of guides of concessionaires of the Okavango area in the application of the standards and recording data into the website.

Chief wildlife officer, Dr Michael Flyman noted that the Wildlife Standardised Monitoring Protocol promoted community involvement with tour guides playing a major role.

Dr Flyman said monitoring included aerial and ground surveys, vegetation monitoring, Management Oriented Monitoring System (MOMS); a paper based monitoring tool at community level, while others were for professionals.

He noted that the report, which informed the development of the monitoring tool, showed that some species such as Tshesebe and Sable were decreasing, while elephants were increasing; therefore advanced monitoring was realised as key.

In her welcome remarks, North West District commissioner, Ms Chabongwa Matseka said the Standardised Wildlife Monitoring Protocol was a great initiative which would ease identification of poaching hot spots and help in trend assessment of fauna and flora. ENDS