Using Networked Human Detection Sensors to Technologically Enhance Anti-poaching Efforts

(excerpts from a US Fish and Wildlife funded - Great Ape Protection Project now implemented in Rep. of Congo)


I. PROJECT SUMMARY The Congo Basin harbors some of the most expansive tracts of remaining intact forest and the world’s largest ape populations. However, human development is expanding into this region and threatening the integrity of local ape populations and their habitats. Conservationists working in this region are challenged not only by the vast area of remote forests which need continuous monitoring and surveillance against ever increasing human-induced threats, but also by limited funds and human resources available for these activities. We propose to address this situation through the implementation of the TrailGuard system (see Figure 1), which is a network of remote sensors that has been specifically designed to detect poacher intrusion into protected areas, electronically transmit this information immediately to park officials, and systematically collect information on patrol responses to such incursions. The TrailGuard system is comprised of unattended magnetic sensors that are networked via an internet gateway and which, when triggered by a metal object such as a firearm, cable snare, or machete, send intruder detection alarms to park authorities via text messages on handheld satellite pagers. After a detection event, the TrailGuard web server which is based in the U.S.A. continually prompts protection authorities until a mission report is submitted which provides information about all steps taken in the investigation of the alarm. This TrailGuard system also features ranger-carried transponder devices which enable remote sensors to differentiate park authorities from trespassers and an online database for donors to monitor ranger performance in response to intrusion alarms.

The successful completion of the first phase of this project was marked by the full assembly of the prototype TrailGuard system. The next phase which is outlined in this proposal involves rigorous field testing of the system to optimize all components in a dense forest environment and full-scale implementation of the TrailGuard system in two high-risk areas for poacher intrusion along the northern border of the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park (NNNP), Republic of Congo. The specific results of this project will include 1) systematic field trials to evaluate and optimize this cutting-edge technological application to enhance anti-poaching efforts, 2) training and performance monitoring reports for park officials to improve response to automated intrusion alarms, and 3) full-scale implementation of the newest technology available to better protect one of the most important conservation areas in Central Africa.

Through the effective combination of human resources and remote technology, our goal is to produce a comprehensive large-scale and cost-effective protection and monitoring strategy for great apes and other wildlife in key conservation areas. The Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park has been selected as an ideal setting for field testing and the first applications of the TrailGuard system, based on the conservation significance of the Ndoki forests and the Park management’s long-history of dedicated anti-poaching efforts. This remote surveillance technology will be combined with existing communication infrastructure and anti-poaching teams in order to increase protection efforts in localized or strategic zones. The TrailGuard system will initially be installed in a control zone within the boundaries of the National Park which provides appropriate field conditions, easy logistical access, and infrastructural support for equipment testing. After field trials have been completed, two TrailGuard systems will be installed along the northern boundary of the Park where poaching threat is greatest. The system will be evaluated specifically on its feasibility in relaying information in real-time to the Park headquarters and on the potential of its wider application in other protected areas.

A. STATEMENT OF NEED

Central Africa contains the largest remaining populations of great apes on the planet. In the population strongholds of northern Congo and Gabon, vast and remote areas of intact forest combined with relatively low human population densities and poor access networks and infrastructure has, until recently, largely safeguarded these populations from the direct threats of habitat loss and poaching. However, over the last decade, commercial logging has expanded at a rapid rate across these forest blocks throughout Central Africa. In Republic of Congo, the number of tree species in Congo that are attractive to the international market have tripled in the last ten years due to advances in forestry technology and changes in timber product market values. In the wake of this expansion follows considerable human immigration and increased pressure on natural resources - including wildlife - for food. Furthermore, the threat of the illegal trade in bushmeat increases as previously inaccessible and remote forested areas are opened by networks of roads to extract timber. The commercial trade in wildlife for food now represents the greatest threat to the conservation of great apes in Central Africa, and the primary focus of conservation strategies. Following a recent conservation priority setting workshop for great apes in West Equatorial Africa held in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, one of the main findings can be quoted as follows ‘Antipoaching has proven to be the single most effective means of protecting apes in Western Equatorial Africa. It is the foundation upon which all other ape conservation activities rest. It needs increased, and just as important, sustained funding

Ape habitat in the Congo Basin is geographically vast, remote, and impossible to patrol effectively with the available resources and traditional methods. Technological applications have been successfully developed to ameliorate such situations and maximize available human resources. For example, the U.S. government was faced with a similar problem in its surveillance along the expansive border with Mexico and responded by developing intrusion detectors to detect entries into the country and transmit alarm signals to border authorities. In 1992, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory reported that ground sensors resulted in the apprehension of 95,000 persons illegally crossing the border. Further, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service claims that ground sensors are one of the most effective tools against drug smuggling. Networked (and often internetted) systems consisting of geographically distributed sensors such as magnetic, seismic, acoustic, passive infrared and other modalities have proven an effective and feasible means of remotely detecting threats entering controlled areas even over large geographic expanses comprised of rugged terrain.

The technology is available to improve the cost effectiveness of protection efforts by enhancing conservation surveillance of protected areas via remote monitoring devices. Indeed, the use of networked sensors has expanded into one of the fastest growth areas in modern electronics, and now includes applications in environmental monitoring, agriculture, and homeland security. Based on results of analogous military applications, it is likely that remote sensing technology will prove to be more efficient than patrol-based detection of incursions into protected areas. Electronic intrusion detectors have the advantage of remaining vigilant at all hours of day for years with little if any maintenance or costs incurred after the system is initially installed. Further, park ranger patrols are often reliant upon intelligence information such as from informants which may be unreliable or outdated. This can result in unsuccessful searches for poachers over large tracts of forest. Even if information is accurate, the timing of missions and the target regions patrolled may not intersect with poacher activity in the region. These issues could be resolved by the use of networked sensors to detect human incursions into a protected area and transmit this information in real-time to authorities. Although similar sensor networks have been widely applied in military situations and homeland security, this project will be the first to implement remote sensing technology in an anti-poaching context in the Congo Basin.

The TrailGuard system has been specifically developed for this anti-poaching application by detecting poacher intrusion into protected areas via a network of remote sensors, electronically transmitting this information to park officials, and systematically collecting information on patrol responses to such incursions. The intrusion detectors consist of magnetometers (metal detectors) that are housed in waterproof casings which can be buried near forest paths. The sensors will detect any person walking by that is transporting a metal object such as a machete, cable snares, or firearms. When the sensor detects an intruder, the event is radio-transmitted to a local internet gateway which services several sensors in an area. An alarm is sent via satellite data transmission to a web server where the event is logged, an incident report is automatically generated, and text messages are immediately sent via standard pagers or as emails to park officials and any other pre-specified parties. The web server would expect a response from park staff within a certain length of time to confirm that the message was received and acted upon by the appropriate authorities. If no response was received within a specified interval, a site-dependent back-up communication procedure would be attempted and continued until a response from the ground station was forthcoming. Therefore, these units also offer a built-in performance monitoring system to independently evaluate whether Park authorities are reacting to perceived threats in a timely manner. The TrailGuard system also features ranger transponder devices which are carried by park rangers and send a signal to remote sensors that park officials are in the area. The successful application of such technology has the potential to revolutionize conservation efforts at local, national and international levels.

The prototype TrailGuard system has been developed and currently awaits field testing, which we propose take place during the next year in the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park (NNNP), in the Republic of Congo. This site was selected based on the Park management’s long-history of dedicated anti-poaching efforts and its conservation significance within the region, specifically with regards to great apes and elephants: NNNP probably contains one of the largest remaining populations of great apes in Africa. The NNNP covers an area of approximately 4,200 km² and lies in the north of the country. NNNP is part of the larger transboundary Sangha Trinational Forest Landscape, extending over approximately 35,000 km² and comprising a vast stretch of lowland Guineo-Congolian forest, rich in African mahoganies and large mammals. The Lobéké National Park (2,700 km²) in Cameroon, Dzanga-Ndoki National Park (1,600 km²) in Central African Republic, and the NNNP (4,200 km²) constitute the Sangha River Trinational core protected area. This zone is of extreme ecological and conservation importance, containing large tracts of intact lowland forest harboring important populations of large mammals many of which, such as the western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), the central chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) and the forest elephant (Loxodonta africana cyclotis), are threatened species. This protected transboundary region lies at the center of a landscape that, since the 1990’s, has become dominated by commercial forestry concessions. The past four years in northern Congo in particular have seen all remaining forestry blocks attributed to international timber companies and all the forestry concessions bordering the NNNP are now active. Faced with this rapidly changing socio-economic situation, it is vital that National Park managers have access to the newest technology available to assist them in effectively protecting the integrity of this important conservation area and its wildlife populations.

Management of the NNNP is implemented through a partnership between the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Congolese Ministry of Forestry Economy and the Environment (MEFE). It is through these existing partnerships that we will field test and install the human detection sensor network described in this proposal. The TrailGuard system will first be installed in a control zone for rigorous field testing and optimization of all system components. The TrailGuard system will then be installed in the northern NNNP border/Mokabi region which is currently experiencing poaching pressure.

The northern border of the NNNP has been experiencing increasing poaching pressure since the launch of logging activities in the adjacent Mokabi logging concession in 2001. Logging activities have exacerbated the level of human immigration, uncontrolled hunting and the establishment of illegal settlements on the northern borders of the NNNP by immigrants from Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo. In early 2003, regular NNNP anti-poaching patrols and research teams working in the National Park began to record an alarming increase in the number of elephant carcasses found within the Park and an increasing number of guard seizures of bushmeat, including great apes, in the northern border zone. In response to this, National Park management staff launched an intensified anti-poaching program, with support from USFWS African Elephant Conservation Fund. Advance anti-poaching camps were constructed near the western (Essimbi) and northern (Bonye) boundaries of the National Park, each equipped with HF radios, and two mixed teams of ecoguards and government law enforcement personnel were rotated in and out of each post at one-monthly intervals, ensuring that there was a permanent law enforcement at each post. Permanent patrols have been maintained to the present day, effectively reducing poaching pressure to zero inside the NNNP. In spite of this, persistent pressure remains in the southern Mokabi zone adjacent to the NNNP, to the extent that construction of a new guard camp in the Mokabi site is currently underway to specifically address these peripheral zone threats 2. MIKE surveys in the Mokabi concession in 2003-43 found important population of great apes and elephants in the southern Mokabi zone in spite of population declines to the north of the concession where commercial forestry infrastructure is located. Improved capacity to detect poaching activities in this southern zone would therefore have considerable potential to prevent similarly negative impacts of illegal human activities on wildlife populations in the south of the Mokabi concession.

Figure 1. Schematic of the TrailGuard Human Detection System, including intrusion detection, electronic transmission of information to authorities, park ranger response, and mission reporting.





Figure 2: Current scope of anti-poaching activities, infrastructure and TrailGuard Implementation sites

B.OBJECTIVES and ACTIVITIES

The overall goal of this project is to improve the conservation status of great apes by developing more effective anti-poaching measures through the use of available remote and internet-based technology. These goals will be achieved by field testing and full-scale deployment of the TrailGuard System in the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, Republic of Congo.

Objective #1: To conduct rigorous field testing of the TrailGuard system in a control zone within the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, Republic of Congo.

Extensive field testing of the TrailGuard system will be conducted in the Goualougo Triangle, which will serve as a control zone where human activity can be strictly controlled or manipulated to examine the performance of the remote human detection system. This location also provides appropriate field conditions, and infrastructural support for equipment testing due to the established presence of a field research camp (see Figure 2). During this testing phase, and using two complete TrailGuard units, we will optimize each component of the entire system and ensure that all components are compatible. Each of the following will be independently evaluated within the control zone: detection sensors, radio link to internet gateway, communication with web server, logging the data into the server, sending text message alarms to a list of parties including the on-site protection authorities, and tracking the follow-up reporting associated with each alarm.

Objective #1a: To ensure that all TrailGuard components are robust and long-lasting.

It is essential that each component be implemented and evaluated in field conditions before large-scale deployment of the TrailGuard system in remote areas. One of the main goals of field testing will be to ensure the durability and longevity of all sensor components. Another specific activity will be to examine different mounting options for the internet gateway unit which will be placed in the forest canopy. The intrusion detector and the internet gateway units will be housed in waterproof cases that have proven capable of providing long-term protection, even to the most sensitive technological equipment (see Sanz, Morgan and Gulick, 2004 4).

Objective #1b: To determine the range of sensors on paths of varying sizes and in waterways.

NNNP has an extensive network of elephant paths which provide easy travel routes through the forest environment for several different species. These paths also provide access routes for poachers and make them important locations for TrailGuard monitoring. The NNNP also has an extensive network of rivers and creeks which poachers may also use to access certain areas. It will be necessary during this testing phase to determine the detection range of individual sensors in various contexts, including paths of varying sizes and waterways of various depths. We will also conduct experimental trials to determine the optimal distance from paths for sensor placement.

Objective #1c: To determine how terrain and forest canopy coverage influence the radio communication performance of the TrailGuard system.

The NNNP is comprised of a mosaic of habitat types which include low lying inundated swamp forest, multi-strata mixed species forest, extensive stands of monodominant evergreen Gilbertiodendron forest, and a variety of forest clearings. Magnetic fields can pass through any vegetation type or water unimpeded, so environmental variables such as understory vegetation and canopy coverage will not influence the magnetic detection of TrailGuard devices. However, we need to assess how terrain and varying vegetation types may affect the radio communication link between remote sensors and the internet gateway. Understanding of how the environment influences this aspect of the TrailGuard system will be a focus of the implementation phase of this project.

Objective #1d: To determine how different intrusion signals influence the strength and probability of detection and communication performance of the TrailGuard system

A number of different intruder signals (machetes, cables, firearms) will be blind-tested by field teams under controlled conditions in the Goualouago Triangle, taking into consideration environmental factors as tested under Objectives 1a-c.

Objective #2: To install the TrailGuard system in the northern portion of the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park which is currently experiencing poaching pressure.

Six TrailGuard units (including one Goualougo pilot test unit and five additional units) will be installed in the southern Mokabi zone, close to the northern border of the NNNP. Patrol response missions will be implemented from the new Mokabi guard zone (see Fig 2) which will be permanently manned by two rotating teams of five ecoguards. The Mokabi camp is coordinated through the Makao park base located 40km to the north east of the NNNP. This will enable experimental testing of the equipment under a ‘real’ poaching case scenario, as well as piloting the performance monitoring component of the system in assessing patrol response efficacy. Both the Mokabo guard camp and the Makao NNNP base will be equipped with Iridium pagers. The TrailGuard unit will be programmed to send logged incident reports to an iridum pager at the Mokabi base camp and Makao park base as well as email messages to the NNNP HQ at Bomassa, thus enabling follow up and response monitoring at both the level of local patrol leaders and Park management.

Objective #3: To work with park officials to develop appropriate response and reporting protocols for human incursions detected by the TrailGuard system and to ensure user sustainability of the system at the level of Park management

Training of NNNP staff will be conducted to ensure that the TrailGuard system is utilized to its full potential. The direct involvement of park authorities in the application of a human detection sensor system will provide practical experience to local personnel in cutting-edge technological applications for improving conservation efforts and ensure the sustainability of the system at the Park manager user level.

As one of the main beneficiaries of performance monitoring results, park officials will be directly involved in the development and evaluation of patrol reporting procedures. It is envisioned information from the TrailGuard system will optimize the way eco-guard forces are deployed and distributed in the field. Not only does real-time transmission of information from the sensors allows responses from eco-guard units to be more efficient and likely to be successful, but analysis of human intrusion patterns over time will aid in the strategic planning of ranger posts and patrol patterns.

Objective #4: To use data generated from this field testing and implementation to evaluate the cost effectiveness and potential of wider application of the TrailGuard system.

Several forms of data will be generated from this project which will be collated into a report which assesses the cost-effectiveness and the potential of wider application of the TrailGuard system to other protected areas. Cost-effectiveness will be evaluated by examining the total installation costs with regard to the results generated. Specific items calculated will include cost per day of remote surveillance, cost per apprehension resulting from automated signals of intrusion, and cost per kilometer of frontier area remotely monitored. We will use information from the TrailGuard web server on signals received from the ground sensors and associated park ranger responses to evaluate the performance of protected area staff in response to automated intrusion alerts.

C. PROJECT METHODS and TIMETABLE

Implementation Sites

The Nouabale-Ndoki National Park (2°05’-3°03’N, 16°51’-16°56’ E) is located in the Sangha Region of the northern Republic of Congo. This park was created in 1993 and encompasses 4,400 km2 of intact forest. It is part of a larger conservation presence in the region referred to as the Tri-National Conservation Area, which is comprised of more than 7,500 km2 of protected lands. The Sangha River Tri-National Conservation Area also includes the Dzanga-Sangha Dense Forest Reserve, which consists of the Dzanga and Ndoki National Park in CAR, and the Lac Lobéké National Park in southwest Cameroon.

Control Zone: Goualougo Triangle

The Goualougo Triangle is located in the southwestern portion of the NNNP. The floodplains of the Ndoki and Goualougo Rivers form the western and eastern boundaries and have served as geographical barriers to human encroachment into this area. Although the Goualougo Triangle was not initially included within the protected area, it was officially annexed to the NNNP by the Congolese government in June 2003. The Goualougo Triangle Chimpanzee Project was established in this region in 1999 and will serve as the base for the field testing of the TrailGuard system.

Anti-poaching Implementation Zone: Mokabi

The Mokabi Forestry Concession is contiguous with the northern border of the NNNP and borders the Central African Republic on its western side. It was attributed to the Rougier company in 1999 and large-scale exploitation activities began in 2001, prior to which it had never been logged. Permanent forestry infrastructure is located in the north of the concession, with the southern sector having no permanent forestry or village settlements. The Mokabi guard camp, on the eastern border of the Mokala river (which forms the north-east boundary of the NNNP) is currently under construction and will provide the base for launching the northern installation activities.

System Specifications

Intrusion detector. The intrusion detectors will be built into waterproof housing units that can be buried along forest trails or small waterways known to be used by poachers. These units consist of a magnetometer (metal detector) with its associated analog electronics and a microcontroller to analyze the magnetometer’s output with detection algorithms. When the magnetometer detects a metal object (such as a firearm, machete, chainsaw, cable snare, leg-hold trap), the microcontroller transmits a message to determine if a Ranger Transponder (see description below) is within range which would identify the signal as belonging to authorized park personnel. These results and the detection event are radioed to the local internet gateway.

Internet Gateway. A single local internet gateway will be used to network several sensor units and communicate signals to the remote web server. The gateway consists of a modem with a controller, a radio link to the ground sensors, and a power supply. The satellite modem has been specifically chosen for this application based on its dependable functioning and worldwide service.

TrailGuard Web Server. The TrailGuard web server acts as a control center for the networked sensors and is already online with programming to receive signals from field-deployed TrailGuard systems. Upon receiving a signal, the server immediately responds by sending email message to pre-specified parties and SMSs (text messages) to Iridium pagers associated with that system. Each time that the web server receives a transmission from the ground sensors, an incident report is automatically generated. A follow-up to the incident is electronically databased for performance reporting. Any communication problems or redundant signals will be detectable on the web server. This server will function similarly to commercial security systems which can manage alarms from a large number of clients. A very small web-based infrastructure could handle all alarms from protected areas around the globe.

Iridium Pager. An intrusion notification will be automatically dispatched from the web server to Park authorities as email or text messages. An Iridium pager (Model: 9501, Manufacturer: Motorola) will be used in this application because of its low cost and reliable global coverage. The time elapse between the signal and receipt of text message is normally 5 to 10 minutes. The Iridium pager will also enable messages to be transmitted directly to the ecoguard advanced camp at Mokabi and the NNNP Park base at Makao (where there is currently no email access).

Ranger Transponder. This unit communicates with TrailGuard system detection sensors to identify the signal as that of a park ranger patrol rather than an intruder. These units also provide park headquarters a real-time means of receiving notification that park patrols have passed by the location.

System Installation Protocols

Placement of Intrusion Detectors. This network of “Intrusion Detectors” capitalizes on the propensity of poachers to repeatedly follow the same paths and access routes, which narrows the location of sensor placement. Sensors will be strategically placed at or near the starting points of paths entering the park to act as an early warning alarm for park authorities. Magnetic sensors mounted in waterproof cases will be buried along side forest trails and other natural "choke points" where humans entering a protected area are likely to pass. Sensors function underwater and so can also be placed in creeks or small streams. A minimum of two sensors will be placed on each trail at a distance of 100 to 200 m apart so as to determine the intruder’s direction of travel and also to increase the reliability of the system by greatly reducing the probability of false positive and negative signaling by a single unit.

Mounting of Internet Gateway. The internet gateway unit will be built into a waterproof case and mounted in the forest canopy where it will have an uninterrupted view of the sky and no hindrance for signal transmission. These gateways will be well-concealed and placed at least 100 m from a TrailGuard sensor unit.

Figure 3. Magnetometer detection of a person carrying an automatic weapon past an intrusion detector that was buried next to a trail in the Virunga National Park, D.R.C (see Objective 1d)

D.STAKEHOLDER COORDINATION and INVOLVEMENT

Although implementation will be based at particular localities, information generated has the potential to impact ape conservation at local, national and international levels.

Nationally. The TrailGuard system is designed to enhance anti-poaching efforts by protected area staff. Park wardens and rangers have integral roles in the success of this project. Park authorities will receive automated alarms and have the government mandate to deploy ranger missions into the protected area. It is essential that strong partnerships be established with these officials not only during this field testing and installation phase, but also to ensure that the TrailGuard system is utilized to its full capacity in increasing their long-term conservation effectiveness.

Regionally. Result of this project will be distributed to protected area managers in the trinational region, government officials, and donor agencies to facilitate efforts to better protect the great apes in the Congo Basin. It is envisioned that this project will be the first of many regional and international installations of the TrailGuard system.

Internationally. Successful application of remote monitoring technology at NNNP to enhance anti-poaching efforts has the potential to affect ape conservation policies and approaches on a global scale. The web-based database will also provide information to donors about poaching and protection activities that were previously inaccessible.

E. ANTICIPATED BENEFITS and OUTPUTS

System Information First installation of networked human detection sensors within a conservation setting to technologically enhance anti-poaching efforts. Detailed results from rigorous field testing of the TrailGuard system. Preparation of a system manual. Assessment of remote sensors as a means of enhancing the protection of at-risk ape populations. Model application of the TrailGuard system for replicated widespread use in other areas.

Conservation Results Reduction in poaching pressure across northern NNNP/Mokabi border area Improved efficiency of anti-poaching efforts as part of an adaptive management system Transparent reporting and monitoring system available for donors and independent reviewers, thus raising the bar for effectiveness of protected area management in central Africa

G. SUSTAINABILITY

Once the system is installed, the TrailGuard system requires a very minimal fixed infrastructure to function continuously for up to ten years without maintenance to the sensor or gateway components. However, the system is also highly "scalable" which means that more sensors can be added incrementally to increase coverage without requiring any redesign of the system. Training of park staff in webserver access and functionality will ensure that the performance monitoring component of the system is incorporated into a long term adaptive management strategy for the NNNP.

H. DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION UNDERTAKING THE PROJECT

Wildlife Conservation Society

WCS has a long history of studying and conserving the great apes. WCS’s long history with great ape research and conservation began in 1959 with Dr. George Schaller’s seminal studies of mountain gorillas in the Virunga Volcanoes region on the borders of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. WCS scientists have been surveying chimpanzee and gorilla populations throughout Eastern and Central Africa in order to determine where great ape populations are most threatened and in need of conservation action. WCS is the only conservation organization now supporting research and conservation projects on all recognized taxa of gorillas in Africa, chimpanzees in Central and East Africa and bonobos in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

WCS-Congo

For the last 15 years WCS has assisted the government of the Republic of Congo in managing more national parks, reserves and buffer zones than any other organization. In 1991, WCS signed an agreement with the Congolese Government to provide technical advice on the creation and management of the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park (NNNP) through the Nouabalé-Ndoki Project. The legal status of the NNNP was changed from forest concession to National Park (IUCN Category II) by Decree in 1993. The organization has been internationally recognized for its innovative work in collaboration with the forestry companies working in the peripheral zone of the NNNP (through PROGEPP – Projet de Gestion des Ecosystémes de la Péripherique du Parc National de Nouabalé-Ndoki) in order to promote the conservation and sustainable management of natural resources outside of protected areas. WCS field staff have been working alongside the government in the Conkouati-Douli National Park since 2000, and full-time WCS staff have been working in the Lac Télé Community Reserve since 2003, following a feasibility study conducted between 2000 and 2002. WCS is currently advising the government on the creation of a new national park in the Batéké plateau area in the south west of the country, as well as providing technical advice on the management of the peripheral zone of the Odzala-Kokoua National Park.

In the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, WCS works closely with MEFE counterparts to provide on-site technical advice and capacity building in all aspects of Park management, research and monitoring. The Project is managed from Bomassa which is located 30 km from the western border of the National Park. The NNP will be responsible for day-to-day administration of this project and will work with the WCS Congo program for the financial management of the grant. The following WCS staff will assist with the implementation of this project:

Dr. Emma Stokes, Monitoring Coordinator, WCS. Congo Mark Gately, Director of the Nouabalé-Ndoki Project W.C.S. Congo

Goualougo Triangle Chimpanzee Project, Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, Republic of Congo The Goualougo Triangle Chimpanzee Project (GTCP) was initiated in 1999 by David Morgan and works closely with the staff of the NNNP in conducting important applied research toward improving the conservation status of chimpanzees. This is currently the only long-term study on the central subspecies of chimpanzee, and has already published important information on chimpanzee behavioral ecology, tool-use and ape survey methods for monitoring purposes. The Goualougo Triangle represents an intact ecosystem with important biodiversity. In particular, the chimpanzees in this region have received international attention due to their naïve responses to humans and unique cultural behaviors. The zone, which was originally scheduled for timber extraction, was annexed to the National Park in 2003 following a global campaign involving WCS, the Congolese Government and the local logging company. The GTCP has pledged infrastructural and staff support to the field testing of the TrailGuard system.

The following GTCP personnel will assist with implementation of this project: David Morgan, Cambridge University and W.C.S.-Congo Dr. Crickette Sanz, Max Planck Institute and W.C.S.-Congo

Wildland Security, U.S.A. Wildland Security is a conservation organization that is dedicated to developing appropriate technology for the protection of wildlife. Steve Gulick, Founder and Director, Wildland Security

Ministry of Forest Economy and Environment, Republic of Congo Government officials of the Ministry of Forest Economy and Environment work in collaboration with WCS to oversee the management activities and functioning of the NNNP. The park conservator is directly responsible for protection efforts and park ranger patrols in the NNNP. Pierre Ngouembe, Park Warden, NNNP, MEFE, Republic of Congo Desiré Kounda, Assisant Park Warden, NNNP-Makao, Republic of Congo



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