Assam: Frontline forest personnel trained in Kaziranga for elephant population estimation
The training, part of Project Elephant’s five-year cycle, focused on comprehensive methods for estimating elephant populations, equipping forest personnel with skills in sampling encounter rates, analyzing group composition, and collecting dung samples for DNA analysis.
- Oct 25, 2024,
- Updated Oct 25, 2024, 7:16 PM IST
Over 70 frontline forest personnel from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Nagaland participated in a two-day training session at Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve on the All India Synchronised Elephant Population Estimation, a project led by Project Elephant under the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
The training, part of Project Elephant’s five-year cycle, focused on comprehensive methods for estimating elephant populations, equipping forest personnel with skills in sampling encounter rates, analyzing group composition, and collecting dung samples for DNA analysis. This cycle's estimation employs the Spatially Explicit Capture-Recapture (SECR) model, allowing for precise population counts using DNA data collected from elephant dung, an advanced technique previously used in tiger and leopard estimations.
The programme, held for trainers from 28 forest divisions, introduced participants to the MSTrIPES polygon application, a technology designed to improve geo-referenced field observations and streamline data accuracy. This tool aims to reduce sampling errors, enhancing the quality of data gathered for the estimation process.
Experts from the Wildlife Institute of India, including Bhim Singh, Shravana Goswami, and others, guided the personnel through the specialized methodology.