Belantara Foundation Holds a Capacity-Building Program on the Use of SMART (Spatial Monitoring & Reporting Tool)

The Belantara Foundation recently concluded a training program on the Spatial Monitoring & Reporting Tool (SMART) in Cijeruk, Bogor, on March 14-15, 2019. The training, which was attended by representatives from West Java, aimed to increase the effectiveness of patrol activities in managing conservation areas via the SMART system.

The training covered topics including concepts related to wildlife conservation of endangered species; general methods of animal surveys; and wildlife conflict management.  Participants were provided basic SMART introductory information, including the preparation and simulation of field data collection for SMART PATROL. This also covered lessons on the use of various tools used in the SMART system to gather data and observation, such as the GPS for coordinate-markings, cameras for georeferenced photos to validate field observations, and the use of tally sheets and other materials to record important information in the field.

Data collected from the field provide information on species and habitat changes over a certain period of time, as well as an understanding of the factors responsible for the changes.  All these observations form part of an overall management plan for the conservation of wildlife and landscape in protected areas. 

SMART, which was developed by a consortium of conservation organizations, is the leading global monitoring and conservation law enforcement solution for protected areas. It is currently being implemented in more than 500 conservation areas in 47 countries worldwide and has rapidly become the gold standard for wildlife law enforcement, monitoring and management in protected areas, managed lands and conservancies.