INTERVENTION SUMMARY

Human interference (hunting, deforestation, encroachment) and insufficient management resources in Tai National Park (TNP), Côte, d’Ivoire, contributed to population declines among mammals, particularly elephants, chimpanzees, and monkeys. This two-year intervention, led by the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation (WCF) in collaboration with the Office Ivorien des Parcs et Réserves (OIRP), focused on implementing law enforcement measures, specifically ranger patrols or anti-poaching patrols within protected areas, to ensure adherence to restrictions and increase in the effectiveness of conservation efforts. Ten community-based patrol teams, composed of individuals from villages bordering the park and covering the southern part of the TNP, conducted systematic foot patrols under the supervision of OIRP rangers. Over the course of the intervention, a clear relationship between increased patrolling effort and the relative abundance of large mammals was observed: teams recorded over 1,300 infractions, including 550 instances of illegal hunting, 200 snares removed, and other evidence of unauthorized resource extraction. The results showed that while law enforcement rollouts and patrols increased the detection of illegal activity, such as hunting signs, snares, and cartridges, their impact on species-specific outcomes (e.g. for chimpanzees, elephants, or duikers) were not measured, making it difficult to evaluate its direct conservation outcomes. The intervention was promising because it expanded law enforcement capacity by creating community-based patrol teams, utilized the SMART monitoring system that allowed for reliable data collection on both effort and infraction rates, and was composed of local community members, allowing for local ownership and better understanding of park regulations, as well as providing a foundation for long-term compliance and cooperation.

INTERVENTION DETAILS

What was the problem?

Human interference (e.g. hunting using snares and firearms, deforestation, and encroachment) in Tai National Park, Cote, d'Ivoire, driven by the commercial bushmeat trade of large mammals, including elephants, chimpanzees, and monkeys.

What was the Intervention and How was it Implemented?

Ranger Patrolling: The intervention involved the creation of ten patrol teams, specifically ranger patrols or anti-poaching patrols, composed of local community members living near the southern sector of the Taï National Park. These individuals were trained and deployed to conduct regular foot patrols to detect and report illegal activities. These efforts were led by OIRP, and used the SMART system to record patrol routes and infractions, as well as organize and analyze patrol data. (Increase the Risks - strengthen formal surveillance)

Was the Intervention Effective, Ineffective, or Promising?

The intervention was promising, because it led to the increase in the number and coverage of patrols and the subsequent detection of over 1,300 infractions, including 550 cases of illegal hunting and the removal of approximately 200 snares. The effort also improved detection rates over time. When the relative abundance of wildlife was measured, focusing on three commonly hunted duiker species, as a proxy for conservation outcomes, it was found that encounter rates with the species during years of higher patrol effort increased. However, the intervention did not directly assess encounter rates with other affected species, such as chimpanzees and monkeys that were equally affected by illegal hunting, therefore, the current overall level of the intervention was not sufficient to benefit all species equally.

How do We Know?

The intervention was promising because it was successful in recruiting and deploying local patrol teams, and systematically used SMART for monitoring, resulting in improvements in surveillance coverage and data collection. Using local community members allowed for local ownership and better understanding of park regulations, as well as provided a foundation for long-term compliance and cooperation. This had apparent positive impacts on duikers, but its impact on other species, such as chimpanzees, elephants, and pigmy hippos was not evaluated.

Were Conservation Outcomes Measured?

Yes. The relative abundance of duikers was used to measure conservation outcomes.

ASSESSMENT

Over the two-year period (between 2014 and 2016), a total of 1,331 infractions were recorded, including 558 signs of illegal hunting, 206 snares, 115 illegal camps, and 452 other violations.

Increase the Risk - The primary mechanism of change applied in this intervention was to increase the risk of detection through increased patrol presence. There was evidence to support this mechanism, such as a positive correlation between patrol effort and duiker encounter rates; and the number of illegal activity detections.

The intervention provided some information on context that included the spatial and social dynamics of poaching threats. The involvement of local residents as patrol team members improved access to community-level knowledge and likely enhanced patrol effectiveness.

The intervention was conducted between 2014 and 2016, over a two-year period. During this time, the project established ten patrol teams and conducted daily patrols on foot, covering approximately 9 grid cells of 2.5 x 2.5 km each) per patrol. The intervention was led by the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation in collaboration with the Office Ivoirien des Parcs et Réserves (OIRP). Patrol effort was tracked through the SMART system. These included local patrol members who were familiar with the terrain; the application of the SMART system for data collection and analysis; the focus on the southern sector due to its vulnerability to illegal hunting; and the collaboration with the OIRP as a supervisory and training body.

The economic cost of the intervention or any other associated costs were not assessed, neither was there a cost/benefit analysis conducted.

SCP COLUMNS

Strengthen formal surveillance

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

Citation

Kablan et al. (2019)

Year Range

2010-2015

Country

Côte d'Ivoire

Landscape

Rainforest

Target Species

Multiple species

Problem type

Poaching

Source: Kablan, Y. A., Diarrassouba, A., Mundry, R., Campbell, G., Normand, E., Kühl, H. S., ... & Boesch, C. (2019). Effects of anti-poaching patrols on the distribution of large mammals in Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire. Oryx, 53(3), 469-478.C. (2019)