Training in Species Identification for Kahuzi Guides
The rangers protecting a national park should be the ones who know most
about the park's fauna and flora. Unfortunately, this is not always the
case. The Kahuzi-Biega National Park is a case in point. Until recently,
the training of tourist guides focussed on the gorillas, the greatest
attraction of the park. However, tourism should be developed further,
as soon as visits can be resumed, to include the entire fauna and flora.
A good knowledge of animal and plant species is also required for the
exact documentation of observations during patrols.
To address this, Augustin Kanyunyi Basabose proposed to train park staff
in ecology and species recognition. Together with other experts he founded
the Kahuzi Biodiversity Training Group. Within the framework of this project,
a group of three lecturers representing various disciplines conducted
a seminar for 12 park staff members in June. The course lasted 21 days
in all and was partly funded by Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe.
In the first phase, participants learned the basics of taxonomy, biogeography,
rain forest ecology and animal and plant morphology. In the second phase,
the experts conducted modules on their specific areas of expertise: the
ecology of the Kahuzi-Biega forest, plants and mammals. Endangered and
endemic species were introduced in particular detail. Some of the sessions
took place inside a training building; some were conducted in the field,
where participants practised their newly acquired knowledge. For example,
in one exercise they collected plants in order to identify them later
in the botanical laboratory of the CRSN (Centre de Recherche en Sciences
Naturelles) Lwiro.
The lecturers developed detailed and richly illustrated training materials
for this course. Augustin Kanyunyi Basabose included the materials, together
with documentation on the training course, in a report. The course contents
themselves are presented over 108 pages (in French). This seminar will
not be the last. To date, the focus has been on plants and mammals; future
courses of the Kahuzi Biodiversity Training Group will cover other interesting
topics. Finally, the documentation is to be revised in such a way that
other national parks will be able to use it for similar training courses.
Participants collecting plants
Dr. Augustin Kanyunyi Basabose has worked in the conservation of great apes in Central Africa for more than 10 years. He joined the IGCP in 2006 where he is the Conservation Science Officer leading the Ranger-based Monitoring Program, and also acting as the Country Representative in Congo.