Monitoring & Evaluation Systems Training In The Lubombo TFCA

Staff members of the Maputo Special Reserve and the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve in Mozambique were recently trained in the use of a spatial monitoring & evaluation system. The system enables staff to record spatial information related to management tasks, such as fence line maintenance, anti-poaching activities, the distribution and control of invasive species and the location of human-wildlife conflict incidents.

One of the goals of the system is to help managers make informed decisions about the key attributes of the reserve and to effectively manage those aspects that pose a threat to these attributes.

The monitoring & evaluation system enables users to easily import GPS field data and then categorise these according to system’s data standards. Once imported into the system, the users can visually overlay field information with base maps. This allows for effective park planning and management, as the park managers are informed about activities in the field and able to identify patterns of where these occur, thereby enabling them to determine the management interventions needed. The ability to spatially view and relate field occurrences in a mapped system is one of the major benefits of the monitoring & evaluation system.

Once field data is stored in the system, the user can also create a backup of the data with a simple push of a button and then send it to the Peace Parks Foundation Geographic Information Systems (GIS) section. The GIS section then feeds this information into a central spatial database, from where it is used to assist in park planning, spatial analysis and the production of integrated development plans for the various transfrontier conservation areas and their components.

Data collected via the monitoring & evaluation system can also easily be exported for use in other software programmes. Below is an example of field data related to tourism activities, displayed in Microsoft Excel.

For more information on the Peace Parks Foundation GIS section’s work, click here