ATREE, DEWS train frontline staff in wildlife and habitat monitoring at D’Ering sanctuary

The Daying Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary (DMWS), in collaboration with the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), organised a training and capacity-building workshop on systematic wildlife and habitat monitoring for frontline forest staff at Pasighat on Friday.

The workshop brought together 35 frontline personnel of the sanctuary and focused on strengthening their skills in scientific wildlife monitoring techniques. The objective was to build capacity for long-term conservation planning through systematic, field-based data collection on plant and animal species within the sanctuary.

Addressing the participants, Divisional Forest Officer of DMWS, Kempi Ete, emphasised the importance of regular and structured monitoring for effective wildlife management. She said that frontline staff, who spend most of their time in the field, are deeply committed to conservation, and equipping them with technical skills is essential for undertaking the sanctuary’s first systematic baseline assessment of wildlife and habitats.

The training included a technical session on camera trapping conducted by Dr Rajkamal Goswami, Fellow and Lead of the ATREE Arunachal Pradesh team. He underlined the long-term significance of the initiative, stating that if successful, the exercise would mark a historic milestone as the first landscape-scale baseline assessment of wildlife and habitat at D’Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary. He explained the principles of camera trapping, selection of appropriate equipment, different trapping approaches, and best practices for data collection and management.

Another technical session was led by Dr Aavika Dhanda, Project Manager at ATREE Arunachal Pradesh, who focused on bird and habitat monitoring. Her session highlighted practical methods for assessing bird diversity and evaluating habitat conditions, particularly in grassland ecosystems.

In the afternoon, a field demonstration was conducted jointly by Dr Dhanda along with Atto Mimi and Prachaya Sharma. Participants received hands-on training in deploying camera traps, using GPS handsets and rangefinders, and understanding the functioning of different camera trap models.

The workshop equipped frontline staff with practical knowledge and tools to strengthen wildlife and habitat monitoring at D’Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary, contributing to improved conservation outcomes in the region. All participants were awarded certificates upon successful completion of the training.