Protecting Amur Tigers with State-of-the-art MIST Technology

(June 2011, Terney, Russian Far East)   Tasked with protecting the earth's 400 remaining Amur tigers, Russian game wardens have limited resources and large areas to cover.  But thanks to a USAID-supported partnership, they now have hand-held tracking devices that will make their jobs.   The devices use MIST technology, which stores and compiles data on patrol activities for quick analysis. "MIST helps identify tiger poaching hotspots," explains project manager Michiel Hőtte.  "It enables wildlife inspectors to record and accurately locate their movements, observations and activities while out on patrol.  Once the information is fed into the database, it is possible to evaluate the work to see where patrol efforts are most effective, where increased coverage of the terrain is needed, and how best to deploy resources."  To train inspectors in the new technology, a three-day workshop was put together by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), supported by a partnership between the WCS, USAID, the Phoenix Fund, the Zoological Society of London, and four Russian wildlife reserves.  The workshop was led by Dr. Anthony Lynam, who has extensive experience in wildlife law enforcement across Southeast Asia.  "The MIST approach has already proved to be a valuable weapon in the battle against tiger poaching in countries like Cambodia, Lao, Myanmar, and Malaysia," he says.  "I am sure that it has the potential to be equally effective in combating poaching in the Russian Far East."   (WCS Russia, based in Vladivostok, works to strengthen the capacity of local NGOs and research institutions to fight poaching, protect critical habitats of the Amur tiger, and promote biodiversity throughout the Russian Far East. More info at www.wcsrussia.org)

(pictured:   Tony Lynam of WCS  instructs wildlife inspectors from Sikhote-Alin Reserve in the use of the new hand-held units.)

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