Chad : GPS collaring of 7 elephants  

One of the elephants, asleep during the installation of a GPS collar (January 24-27) in the Binder-Léré Wildlife Reserve in Chad, wakes up.

THE 3 PROTECTED AREAS WHERE “PARCS DE NOÉ” IS LOCATED :

HIGHLIGHTS

NIGER > TERMIT TIN-TOUMMA NATURE RESERVE

During a two-week vaccination campaign, 19,250 heads of cattle (dromedary,cattle, goats and sheep) were vaccinated, and 9550 dewormed. In addition, 20 cattle, 72 dromedaries and 110 small ruminants who were ill were treated. This shows the will to improve livestock health in the protected area, which is important as animal health, ecosystem health and human health are linked, as underlined by the concept of “One Health” (to read the recent interview in french on this subject with Arnaud Greth in Ô Magazine, click below) : 

CLICK HERE FOR THE INTERVIEW OF ARNAUD GRETH IN Ô MAGAZINE

To ensure long-distance missions in areas that are difficult to access by car, 6 dromedaries have been purchased. These 6 new members of the reserve will be used for surveillance and ecological monitoring of the protected area. 

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CHAD > BINDER LÉRÉ WILDLIFE RESERVE

GPS collars have been successfully fitted to 7 elephants, thanks to the support of veterinarian Pete Morkel, tracker of excellence Abdoulaye Mattar Kaouba, and the Wings for Conservation Foundation aircraft piloted by Jaime Dias. A total of 11 pachyderms (5 females and 6 males) are currently equipped with these devices allowing them to be monitored daily via satellite.

The development of Binder’s infrastructure has progressed with an almost completed control room, the renovation of two additional offices, and the pouring of the floor for the motorcycle parking.

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CONGO > CONKOUATI-DOULI NATIONAL PARK

With the installation of new camera traps, wildlife sightings in the dense forests at the heart of the park have increased, including buffalo, several elephants with youngsters, and a group of chimpanzees attracted to irvingia (wild mango) fruit.

Meetings were held with community representatives from the districts of Nzambi and Madingo Kayes, concerning village associations and community activities (ecotourism, agriculture, traditional fishing, goat rearing), and an evaluation was done of existing infrastructures (boreholes, health centers, schools) and the needs of local populations.

PROGRESS PER SITE

NIGER > TERMIT TIN-TOUMMA NATURE RESERVE

MANAGEMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE

• Martin Hochart, former Director of Operations, has been appointed to the position of Director of the reserve.
• A special Local Management Advisory Committee (CCLG) was held in Zinder for the addax collaring project. The main recommendation of the committee was to continue sensitizing the population on the content of this project,which has already been launched in five communes (Tesker, Aderbissinat, N’gourti, Bilma and Tchirozérine).
• A 6-day field mission was carried out with SCF (Sahara Conservation Fund) and the government’s addax focal point in the Tin-Toumma desert, to identify an appropriate logistical base, with an airstrip and a water supply point, for the collaring of addax.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• A total of 6 dromedaries was purchased and will be used in the future for surveillance and ecological monitoring missions in the reserve.
• The 4 patrols, executed in 21 days, mobilized 236 men/day and covered 2,239 km per vehicle. The results are:
  • 26 people sensitized to the importance of wildlife and the harms/impacts of poaching;
  • 4 motorcycle and 1 vehicle searched;
  • 8 people arrested;
  • 296 animals of different species observed;
• A two-week visit of the W Park in Benin by the Anti-poaching Advisor, Franck Berry, was organized to learn from the experiences of African Parks.
• The reserve’s sworn agents were trained on the environmental regulationsby Colonel Bello, the reserve’s deputy director.

BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

• A 13-day mission was conducted to check existing camera traps, and to install 25 new cameras in the Termit massif, using a remote sampling approach, allowing the collection of scientifically sound data on wildlife distribution and abundance.
• An exchange took place with ZSL (Zoological Society London) to use the reserve as a pilot site for Instant Detect, a technology that allows camera traps to be connected via satellite to receive images in real time.

COMMUNITIES DEVELOPMENT

• In order to detect cases of disease more quickly in the reserve’s livestock and to ensure their treatment, 20 para-veterinary auxiliaries were trained and provided with kits (tools, medicines).
• During a 2-week livestock vaccination campaign in the reserve, 19,250 head of livestock (dromedary, cattle, goats and sheep) were vaccinated and 9,550 were dewormed.
• In addition to the vaccinations and deworming, 20 cattle, 72 dromedaries and 110 small ruminants were treated. This shows the will to improve the health of the livestock present in the protected area. This is important, as animal health, ecosystem health and human health are linked, as emphasized by the concept of “One Health”.  To read the recent interview in french on this subject with Arnaud Greth in Ô Magazine click here
• Concerning the communities, the oral health care mission for local populations continues in the field, targeting mainly women, children and the elderly, who are not only far from specialized health centers, but also lack the necessary means to access the required care.
• A student from the University of Zinder (Department of Geography, Master 2) has undertaken a research project on “Participatory management, a process of sustainable management of type IV protected areas; case of the Contrat terroir in the Termit and Tin-Toumma Nature Reserve“.

FOCUS ON THE DROMEDARY

For more than four thousand years, the dromedary has accompanied the people of the desert, and the National Nature Reserve of Termit and Tin-Toumma, in this respect, is no exception. 

Probably domesticated around 3000 BC, this animal is nicknamed “ship of the desert” thanks to its exceptional capacities in arid environments. They render multiple services, in particular to the nomads who exploit them as work force and the production of leather, milk and meat.

The dromedary herd represents the wealth of the reserve’s inhabitants, but also their means of transport. Circulating freely in the reserve and mixing with wildlife, they are the main economic activity of the communities but also potential vectors of disease transmission to wildlife and humans. 

In response, the Termit and Tin-Toumma Nature Reserve is developing a sustainable pastoralism plan (health, pasture zoning, improving revenues, etc.) in order to manage this important economic activity in a sustainable way.

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CHAD > BINDER LÉRÉ WILDLIFE RESERVE

MANAGEMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE

• The development of Binder’s infrastructure has progressed with a control room almost completed, the renovation of two additional offices, and the pouring of the floor for the motorcycle parking.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• 18 surveillance missions were carried out, totaling 464 men/day of effort for2424 kilometers done (motorcycle, pedestrian, vehicle) by the anti-poaching teams.
• During the surveillance missions, 4 poachers, 7 woodcutters and 2 herders were arrested in the heart of the reserve. Three poachers were referred to the authorities in Léré. A 12-gauge shotgun was seized along with 4 cartridges.
• Gold prospecting by the Chadian company Kourssami Group south of the reserve is currently blocked, and two agents are guarding the site.

BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

• GPS collars were successfully fitted to 7 elephants thanks to the support of veterinarian Pete Morkel, tracker of excellence Abdoulaye Mattar Kaouba and the plane of Wings for Conservation Foundation plane (Jaime Dias). A total of 11 pachyderms (5 females and 6 males) are currently equipped with these devices, allowing them to be monitored daily via satellite.
• An inventory and mapping mission of Chadian heritage sites led by 4 people from CNRD (Centre national de recherche et de développement) was escorted to Gauthiot Falls.

COMMUNITIES DEVELOPMENT

• A meeting with the Gong (traditional chief) of Binder Nairi was organized, in the presence of Noé’s lawyer (Brillantine Djigbe), to inform the communities about the boundaries of the reserve and the rules to be respected for the use of old and new fields.
• The reserve supported the communities to draw up two new reports on the impact of wildlife in the agricultural plantations in its vicinity, for potential compensation, via the mechanism put in place by the State.

CONGO > CONKOUATI-DOULI NATIONAL PARK

MANAGEMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE

• Renovation work on the HQ has progressed according to schedule, including the construction of the ecoguard unit (scheduled for March), the water tower (completed) and the water supply system (being installed).
• A meeting was held with the local authorities of Nzambi (Sub-Prefect, Secretary General, Gendarmerie Brigade Commander, Police Commissioner) to discuss actions in the district, including Conkouati-Douli National Park.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• A total of 465 man-days of protection were carried out, including 334 man-days at the fixed posts of Youbi and Yanika with the support of the canine unit and 131 man-days of mobile patrols (on foot and by river). In addition, a trainee from ACFAP (Congolese Agency for Wildlife and Protected Areas) joined the park protection team.
• These missions resulted in the seizure of 4 trapping cables and 40 killed animals, including 8 bay duikers, 23 blue duikers, 6 monkeys, 3 porcupines and a live pangolin, which was released in the park after its health was checked.
• Artisanal gold and cassiterite miners continue to evacuate the park, thanks to the efforts to block boats traveling up the Ngongo River to supply illegal mining camps in the fully protected area.

BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

• Camera traps were set up in the dense forest areas (triangle and Tchirila) with encouraging results, including observations of buffalo, several elephants with youngsters, a group of chimpanzees attracted to Irvingia fruit (wild mango), and traces of gorillas in the same area.
• In the savannahs near the HQ, two groups of elephants, chimpanzees, guibs, and jackals were observed.
• The park continued to provide logistical support to the NGO Renatura teams for the provisioning of their camps in the park, established for the monitoring of marine turtle nesting.

COMMUNITIES DEVELOPMENT

• The renovation of the HQ allowed for the recruitment of 12 temporary workers from the park’s villages (including 4 women) who were trained by the company’s workers.
• Meetings were held with community representatives from the Nzambi and Madingo-Kayes districts regarding existing village associations and experiences with community activities (ecotourism, cassava production, traditional shrimp fishing in the lagoon, goat farming).
• An assessment was made of the existing infrastructures in the villages of the park (boreholes, health centers, schools) and the needs of the populations.

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