Research undertaken by the University of Exeter shows that drones are rapidly becoming a key resource for scientists. 

In a paper published in the Endangered Species Review, scientists noted a number of benefits drones have to turtle conservation.

Drones enable scientists to track turtles over big areas and in places which are hard to reach.  And they can gather information in much greater detail.  They are cheaper than alternative ways to gather data, such as satellite systems. 

The information they collect enable scientists to discover more about turtle behaviour and their movements in the water.   Drones also give an extra weapon with which to fight poaching.

What’s more, stunning footage collected by the drones really increases public interest and involvement.

What scientists don’t know at the moment is if the turtles can pick up drones in flight, and what impact it has on them, so the University says more research is needed to investigate these points.

Visit the University of Exeter's Biosciences website

Responsible Travel lists a number of turtle conservation holidays 

International bird conservation charity BirdLife International report that a group in Nigeiria is empowering women and the community to protect the very productive but rapidly disappearing mangrove forests there.

Groups of women are helping commuinties to restore and manage mangrove forests in 5 villages in South East Nigeria.   It’s a important breeding site.  Crocodiles, tortoises, turtles, fish, shrimps, crab, snails, clam and oysters call this area home.  Local people depend on the forest to support their livelihoods. 

For the forests have been overharvested.  Trees have been used for firewood in homes and to build canoes.  Patches of forest have been cleared for housing.   This means that ecosystems and economic benefits have put the mangroves at risk. 

But the good news is that 7 women on the frontline are working with communities.

Workshops reaching 330 women are raising awareness about the importance of mangrove restoration and tree planting.

Just 9 months after the project was started, over 400 trees have been planted in key areas.  Another 600 have been ear-marked for distribution to women in the communities to promote agro-forestry practice.

And 2 nursery sites have been established in 2 communities to grow the Rhizophora species of mangrove tree, and over 400 seedlings grown!

Air Cargo News report that campaigns to stop wildlife trafficking from Africa have seen two training workshops held in Mozambique and Kenya.   More workshops are planned in Uganda, Malawi, Ethiopia and Malaysia.

ROUTES (that’s the USAID Reducing Opportunities for Unlawful Transport of Endangered Species) delivered a workshops for airliner staff on the role they play in preventing wildlife trafficking.

A ROUTES report analysing wildlife trafficking in the air transport sector says that Kenya is a significant transit point for poachers and traffickers who supply wildlife products to Asia.

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is the busiest airport in East and Central Africa and so is a target for wildlife trafficking, especially ivory.   Kenyan authorities often seize illegal products at the airport. 

Empowering staff to identify and report suspicious activities linked to wildlife trafficking is essential to stop the trade.

There was also a training workshop in Mapoto for staff such as cabin crew, ground handlers, cargo processors and other staff.  They found out how to detect and stop smugglers carrying wildlife products out of Mozambique, a hotspot for ivory and rhino horn going to Asia.

It’s thought that as airline staff spend more time with passengers and their baggage, and cargo shipments, than customs officers, they can be a key source of intelligence in the battle to stop the wildlife trafficking trade. 

Good luck ROUTES with your on-going workshops!

A project in a protected area in Laos established a connection between higher payments for wildlife sightings and improved protections for wildlife.

During the 4 year study, sightings of common wildlife went up by over 60%. 

The payments were funded by entry fees, paid by tourists, and were put into village development funds – these would finance projects such as school construction and healthcare. 

The project was carried out with the Wildlife Conservation Society and Foundations of Success.  It shows that linking cash payments with results such as the number of animals seen could be sufficient to discourage practices which are detrimental to wildlife such as hunting. 

This is an important direct link, and it’s believed to be a key to success.

Wildlife managers and scientists set up a scheme to pay villages on the edge of the protected are based on the species and number of animals that tourists saw when they visited the park.

The park is home to animals such as sambar deer, macaques and deer.   Unfortunately, a demand for wildlife parts, and access to weapons, led to a surge in illegal hunting even in this protected area.

The villages’ development funds got a set amount of money for every tourist visiting the park.  But if certain animals were spotted, the funds would receive a bonus.  So a civet or porcupine would get little more than $1 whilst a tiger spot would have meant $225.  (No tigers were spotted during the research period.)

If anyone from the communities was caught breaking the law, the community was penalised by the project. 

By the end of the study, there were 63% more sightings of the common animals (or evidence of them, such as their tracks) than at the start.

The research wanted to measure how effective incentives to protect wildlife could be at changing their behaviour.   The researchers estimate that it did.   The authors argue that the paper the project produced is laying out a method for measuring the impacts of other projects such as this.

Laos travel guide from Lonely Planet