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Since nearly
two years ago, the Asiatic Cheetah Conservation Project has been initiated
in collaboration with the Department of Environment (DOE), Wildlife
Conservation Society (WCS), United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and
IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP).
The mission of
the Co-Management Start-up Team is included in the project document of the
Asiatic Cheetah Conservation Project. During the past two months, the Team
has started its activities based on the agreed ToR and in accordance with
the adopted action plan.
Functions of
the Start-up Team can be categorized into two equally important courses of
action. First, structured studies along with the required practical
innovations particularly with respect to the participatory methods of the
work; second, practical work regarding the analysis of the main stakeholders
who are supposed to wholeheartedly participate in developing a national
conservation strategy to be consequently accepted and supported by them all.
During its
two-month-long efforts, the Start-up Team has been pursuing two
interdependent and parallel processes, namely “socio-ecological” and
“bio-ecological” process. To meet this target, special attention has been
paid to the population dynamics, cheetah-prey-habitat, as well as the
ecological relations. In addition, stakeholders will themselves analyze
the situation of local communities, livestock breeders, hunters, farmers,
NGOs and of course governmental bodies responsible for the conservation of
the natural environment.
During the past
two months the practical approach of the project has led to:
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Organization of the
expert professional work team in support of natural resources,
co-management and socio-economic studies
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Frequent visits to the
study areas and the habitats of the Asiatic Cheetah as well as human
societies located within or on the periphery of such areas
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General identification
of different stakeholders
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Mapping the
socio-economic situation of the cheetah habitats
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Identification of the
traditional management systems used by the local communities which can
also promote voluntary participation of these communities
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Listing on a macro-scale
the existing problems and threats to the livelihood and socio-economic
status of the local communities
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Developing a basic
mutual trust between the Start-up Team and the local communities located
in the area. These communities have made noticeable accomplishments
during the first two months of the implementation of the project
Preparing reports for the
four field visits to the study area, translation of the book “Co-Management
of Natural Resources”, translation and compilation of the book “A New
Approach To Rangeland Ecology”, preparing the Cheetah Bibliography, reports
on the socio-economic characteristics of the protected areas subject to the
study, and the relative
identification of
environmental capacities of these regions all constitute other outcomes
along with those attained by the Start-up Team’s efforts during the past two
months |
