notes from the field new lights grant benefits women and zebras conservation s next generation SPRING 2015 MARTIN HARVEY

Transcription

1 notes from the field SPRING 2015 new lights grant benefits women and zebras conservation s next generation MARTIN HARVEY

2 Conservation s New Lights READ MORE ABOUT FOXLIGHTS AND WATCH A VIDEO ONLINE AT QUINTON MARTINS/SNOW LEOPARD CONSERVANCY

3 There is no way that snow leopards dare come near our pastures at night. When wild animals attack livestock, it can often be deadly both for the livestock and for the wildlife involved. Livestock owners often retaliate against livestock predation by killing the carnivores that threaten their herds. Conservationists like Dr. Rodney Jackson of Snow Leopard Conservancy work closely with livestock owners to better protect their animals. When Rodney first heard about Foxlights, an electronic deterrent developed by Ian Whalen to ward off predators on his Australian farm, he immediately got in touch. Foxlights are intermittently flashing colorful lights that warn snow leopards and other predators that there are humans in the area. This causes the predator to avoid what could be a risky area. LEFT: SNOW LEOPARD CONSER- VANCY S RODNEY JACKSON DISCUSSES THE BENEFITS OF FOXLIGHTS WITH LOCAL VILLAGERS. TOP: DAVE CORTRIGHT AND IAN WHALEN TALK ABOUT WAYS FOXLIGHTS CAN BE USED FOR CON- SERVATION. Compared to other available predator deterrents, Foxlights are relatively inexpensive, portable, and have a long battery life. These traits are all important to field conservationists. WCN s Director of Technology Dave Cortright has reached out to other WCN Partners to trial Foxlights and has been researching rechargeable battery and solar charger solutions that would allow them to work in Africa and Asia. Cheetah Conservation Botswana and Niassa Lion Project are both beginning trials of Foxlights in the areas where they work. Initial results from trials in Nepal have been encouraging. Kunga Gurung, a Nepalese herder who owns forty yaks, was one of the first to test the lights. What a surprise through the night that the snow leopards did not dare to come near, he said after testing the lights. The Foxlights did scare them! There is no way that snow leopards dare come near our pastures at night.

4 Empowering SUZI ESZTERHAS / The Grevy s Zebra Scout program benefits both Scouts and zebras.

5 Women as Grevy s Zebra Scouts R irian is a young woman who lives in northern Kenya with her husband and two children. The family has only two cows and two goats to support them. Ririan s husband travels regularly to the nearest town, Archer s Post, to find casual jobs, but does not have a regular source of income. So when the opportunity arose for Ririan to become a Grevy s Zebra Scout, she was thrilled. Grevy s Zebra Scouts work for Grevy s Zebra Trust (GZT) gathering data on the zebras and raising conservation awareness in their communities. GZT has always worked to provide employment to women through the Scouts program. Many Scouts are able to pay for things like medical care and education for their children with the income that they receive. In 2014, the Caridad Giving Circle granted approximately $10,000 to Grevy s Zebra Trust to hire six new female Scouts and expand into six new villages. The giving circle is made up of sixteen women from the San Francisco Bay Area who pool their donations together and make collaborative giving decisions. The Scouts program fit into their goals of providing for the economic self-sufficiency of women and children and sustaining a healthy environment. Several members were also able to hear GZT Founder Belinda Mackey speak at WCN s Wildlife Conservation Expo and were impressed with her work. Ririan is amazed that there are other women so far away who believe that women around the world should be empowered. I am blessed to have been chosen by my community and am thankful to Caridad Giving Circle women s group for making it possible, she said. Ashe oleng pii! (Thank you so much!).

6 Supporting Conservation s Next Generation Manoj Bhusal COUNTRY: NEPAL SPECIES: RED PANDA M.Sc. in Conservation Biology at University of Kent Pat J. Miller Scholarship Anita Bousa COUNTRY: LAOS SPECIES: SAOLA M.Sc. in Tropical Biology and Conservation at James Cook University Handsel Scholarship SUZI ESZTERHAS / Gebeyehu Rskay Kassa COUNTRY: ETHIOPIA SPECIES: ETHIOPIAN WOLF M.Sc. in Zoology at Bahir Dar University Pat J. Miller Scholarship Arjun Srivathsa COUNTRY: INDIA SPECIES: ASIATIC WILD DOG DHOLE Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida or Forestry and Environmental Resources at North Carolina State University

7 The WCN Scholarship Program invests in the next generation of conservation leaders by providing grants for graduate education to students who are committed to working on wildlife conservation in their home countries. Senior conservationists from WCN, Wildlife Conservation Society, and World Wildlife Fund, as well as Whitley Award winners, nominate scholarship candidates. In 2015, WCN awarded ten scholarships and has now supported a total of 72 scholars from 30 different countries. Lara Heidel COUNTRY: ARGENTINA SPECIES: ANDEAN CAT Ph.D. in Biology at Comahue National University Handsel Scholarship Deo Kujirakwinja COUNTRY: DRC SPECIES: CHIMPANZEE Ph.D. in Environmental Science at Rhodes University Rinzin Phunjok Lama COUNTRY: NEPAL SPECIES: SNOW LEOPARD M.Sc. in International Nature Conservation at Georg-August-Universität Göttingen Ashan Thudugala COUNTRY: SRI LANKA SPECIES: FISHING CAT, RUSTY S SPOTTED CAT, JUNGLE CAT M.Phil. in Zoology at the University of Peradeniya Alejandra Rocio Torrez COUNTRY: BOLIVIA SPECIES: ANDEAN CAT M.A. in Environmental Education at Universidad de Málaga *Zegeye Kibret Memorial Scholarship Jaffar Ud Din COUNTRY: PAKISTAN SPECIES: SNOW LEOPARD Ph.D. in Ecology and Biodiversity at University of Malaya

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