SOS Final Technical Report
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SOS Final Technical Report 1. Project Information Organization: Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Project Title: Implementation of SMART: a Spatial Monitoring And Reporting Tool to strengthen law enforcement and improve effectiveness of tiger protection in source sites Grant code: 2011A-001 SOS Grant Type: Threatened Species Report Author and Emma J Stokes ([email protected]) Contact Information: Alexa Montefiore ([email protected]) Date of Report: 15 December 2013 SOS Strategic Threatened Asian and African Mammals Direction(s): Project Dates 15th October 2011 – 15th March 2013 (extended to 15th October 2013) SOS Grant Amount (in 699,600 US$): Total Project Amount 1,420,100 (in US$): Focal Threatened Tiger (Panthera tigris) Species: Implementation WWF (Implementation Partner) Partners for this Tiger range states (Implementation Partners) project: ZSL, FFI, CITES-MIKE (SMART Partners) 2. Project Progress by Component/Objective 2A. Report on results by project component. Reporting should reference specific products/deliverables from the approved project design and other relevant information including quantitative and qualitative measurement of chosen indicators. Component/Objective or Result Actual at Completion Objective 1: ACHIEVED Deliver a SMART Version 1.0 that has been fully field-tested, is scalable to a wide range of site-specific contexts, and is supported by a regional capacity 1 building strategy. Result 1.1: - SMART 1.0 publicly released Feb 2013. A SMART system that is scalable, fully - Two subsequent updates released based on early field-tested and supported by a regional field testing (current version 1.1.2) capacity building strategy is in place in 9 - Software translated into Thai, Vietnamese and implementation sites. Mandarin (Indonesian and Russian ongoing) - Technical training manuals available in English, Thai, Vietnamese and Mandarin - All materials made publicly available on www.smartconservationtools.org - A total of 30 regional technical focal points from nine countries, trained by SMART-standard trainers. These focal points have gone on to train a further 39 technical staff across four countries that include SOS demonstration sites. - SMART implemented in 15 sites across 5 countries in Asia under direct SOS support (13 tiger and 2 non-tiger sites) - SMART introduced to a further 42 sites across 11 countries in Asia leveraged through SOS regional and national training workshops and in collaboration with government and NGO partners (57 sites in total of which 39 are within tiger range) - SMART 2014 plan for national-level adoption, roll- out and coordination with government and partner agencies in progress across five countries; leveraged through SOS regional workshops and site demonstration: Thailand, China, Indonesia (Sumatra), and Cambodia with plans for introducing SMART at national level in discussion for Malaysia and Myanmar (through WCS co-financing). - SMART 10-year business and financing plan produced Objective 2: ACHIEVED Implement SMART 1.0 across 9 sites supported by a fully trained, equipped and motivated team of site managers and rangers Result 2.1: - 38 site managers trained across 24 sites in adaptive SMART is supported by a fully trained, management practices, across five countries in Asia equipped and motivated team of site that also include SOS demonstration sites managers and rangers in 9 - >380 rangers trained in SMART patrol data implementation sites. collection protocols in demonstration countries. 2 Rangers trained in 12 SOS demonstration sites as follows: Thailand: HKK (35 rangers), Khlong Nan (34/100%), Mae Wong (54/100%); Sumatra, Indonesia: Tesso Nilo (17/50%), Rimbang-Tigapuluh (35/88%), BBS (6/12%), Malaysia: Endau Rompin (21); China: Wangqing (16/100%), Suiyang (9/100%), Hunchun NR (18/11%), Hunchun Forest Bureau (8/100%) Component 3: PARTIALLY ACHIEVED Develop reliable indicators of poaching pressure and law enforcement effectiveness, based upon standardized data collection, reporting and analysis protocols that reflect best scientific practices. Result 3.1: - Standardized data model developed in all five Reliable indicators of poaching pressure countries with SMART demonstration sites in and law enforcement impact based collaboration with in-country government and NGO upon standardized scientific protocols partners developed across 9 implementation - 13 demonstration sites (+ 2 non-tiger sites. demonstration sites) using standardized indicators on law enforcement effort, coverage and poaching pressure 2B. Were any components unrealized? If so, how has this affected the overall impact of the project? No components were unrealized. However, roll-out of SMART has proceeded at different rates across the demonstration sites/countries, which is to be expected given the scale of the project and the various constraints of human resources and political will acting at any given time in any one site and any one country. For example, sudden staff turnovers in demonstration sites (e.g. in Lao) are factors beyond the control of this project and will necessarily set back the timetable for SMART roll-out in this site. Similarly in Russia, SMART roll-out has proceeded at a slower rate than originally anticipated, largely due to on-site staffing. As a result, we do not provide results from Russia in this final report. However, its important to stress that even in original demonstration sites in Lao and Russia, significant political will for SMART implementation has been engaged during the course of the project with plans for 2014 roll-out in both of these countries (see below). At the same time, the project has successfully and directly engaged additional sites beyond the original demonstration sites – most notably in China, Thailand and Malaysia. 2C. Please list and submit (electronically if possible) any documents, tools, products, or methodologies that resulted from this project or contributed to the results. Please number and make sure titles correspond to titles of any attachments submitted electronically. 3 The following documents can be accessed via Dropbox through the hyperlinks provided: 1. Map of SMART sites across Asia including those with direct SOS support 2. Thailand SMART Patrolling brochure 3. SMART Training Manual Release 1 (en) 4. SMART Training Manual Release 1 (zh) 5. SMART Training Manual Release 1 (in) 6. Photos from field training and implementation 7. SMART Partnership 10-year business plan 3. Species Conservation Impacts Note: Please use this section to summarize the overall impact of your project. Present results in terms of: - Overall impact of the project (see 3A to 3C below) - Project activities’ impacts on species status (see 3.1 below), - Population size and trajectories (see 3.2 below), - Critical habitat condition and trajectory (see 3.3 below), - Major threats (see 3.4 below), and - Enabling conditions for effective conservation (see 3.5 below). 3A. Planned Outcome(s) / Impact(s) (as stated in the project logical framework): “Within 18 months of the initiation of the project, demonstrate increased law enforcement impact and reduction in poaching of tigers and their prey in all 9 implementation sites.” 3B. Actual Progress towards Impacts at Completion: Over the past 18 months, through the support of SOS and in collaboration with SMART partners, we have succeeded, to date, in introducing SMART and best practices for protected area management to a total of 57 sites (SMART demonstration sites) across 11 countries in Asia. Over 90% of these sites are protected areas (see Map in attached documents). Of these 57 sites, 44 are within tiger range and implicate nine tiger range states (Bhutan, China, Indonesia, India, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Malaysia, Thailand and Russia). Implementation of SMART in 13 of these sites was supported directly by SOS and introduction of SMART to additional sites was leveraged either through SOS demonstration sites or through the regional training workshops supported by the SOS SMART grant and follow-up activities at national-level (see map in Documentation). Implementation outside of SOS sites was co-financed by WWF and WCS in their respective sites. The project has resulted in improved management systems in place for responding to poaching and other threats to tigers and their prey across these sites. It has also resulted in improved accountability of 4 protected area agencies at both local and national level in addressing poaching of tigers and their prey. We demonstrate this below in presenting standardized indicators on current levels of patrolling effort, poaching pressure and enforcement response. Reducing poaching of tigers and their prey in many sites will require a holistic approach and strengthening of enforcement capacity both through investment from governments and the broader conservation community. SMART is but one tool in a larger toolkit of solutions to tackling poaching; however it is an essential foundation on which to build further capacity, coordinate an effective response, leverage additional resources to tackling poaching where needs are greatest and promote transparency of government and non-governmental agencies in solving the problem. Through implementation of this project we have also shown that there is broad government support for improving management systems through which to achieve this and thus considerable potential for global engagement of agencies in this approach. SOS provided the first regional implementation start-up grant for SMART in Asia and as such, SOS support has enabled