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Camera trap survey training in Tanzania

WildCRU-affiliated project Lion Landscapes recently delivered a training workshop for Tanzanian wildlife researchers on carrying out camera trap surveys to estimate large carnivore population density. The training took place at the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI) HQ in Arusha and was attended by 18 early-career TAWIRI researchers, a third of whom were women.

The workshop included presentations and practical sessions covering survey design, data collection, data management and processing, species classification, individual identification of leopards and lions, spatially explicit capture-recapture (SECR) analysis, as well as reporting and interpreting results. The Lion Landscapes team also presented results from large carnivore surveys conducted in the Ruaha-Rungwa and Selous-Nyerere ecosystems to illustrate the kinds of research outputs that can be produced using skills taught during the workshop.

The hope is that the participants will use their new skills and knowledge to carry out large carnivore surveys at other sites in the country. This training was supported by TAWIRI and a Darwin Initiative Capability and Capacity grant.