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School for Field Studies - Techniques for Wildlife Field Research
Moyo Hill Camp, Tanzania
 

Program Terms:

 		Summer II

The appplication cycle for this program is not open at this time. Please check back later.

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Program Sponsor: Field Studies 

Who Can Apply?

TTU applicants only

Program Dates & TTU Deadlines:
There are currently no active application cycles for this program.

Program Details:
Minimum GPA: 2.5 Courses taught in English?: Yes
Housing: Field Station Field of Study: Anthropology, Biology, Ecology, Environmental Studies, Geography, Humanities, International Studies, Sociology, Zoology
Program Type: 1 - Affiliate Program Minimum Classification: Sophomore
Study Abroad Advisor: Jesse Malone Scholarships Available: Program Specific, Study Abroad Competitive Scholarship
Language of Instruction: English
Program Description:

TZ Summer II

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Northern Tanzania, home of world famous national parks such as Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Kilimanjaro, Serengeti, as well as the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, offer a tightly packed hub of wildlife conservation. This magnificent setting on the Maasai Steppe will be our 'learning laboratory'. Expeditions to the national parks will be frequent. This is an extremely scenic area and is the center of nature tourism in the East Africa region.

Traditional pastoralism is also practiced here in what has been the home of the Maasai and Iraqw people for centuries. Northern Tanzania is a place where members of local communities interact with wildlife on a daily basis. For these reasons, this area provides an excellent opportunity to examine some of the challenges and opportunities of conservation in Tanzania, including human-wildlife interaction.

Students will be exposed to a rich array of issues related to wildlife management and conservation, and in methods and practices in wildlife field research. Summer sessions are presented by SFS faculty and guests who have years of field experience and grounded knowledge of this area in Tanzania. Field lectures and field trips will comprise a critical component of this summer program.

OVERVIEW
Student in this East Africa summer program will be exposed to a suite of wildlife field techniques and methods routinely used to assess wildlife ecology and management policies and practices in East Africa with specific application to the Tanzania Tarangire-Manyara ecosystem conservation areas. The focus will be multidisciplinary and reflect the complex realities of balancing ecological, economic, and socio-cultural factors in sustainable wildlife conservation and management studies. Students will learn foundational skills in observation and evaluations of wildlife, as well as interactive methods used for assessing local community attitudes and behaviors towards conservation efforts and apply these techniques to advance long-term research goals at our center. Examples of techniques that will be taught include: effective identification, sampling, and data collection and analysis methods for flora and fauna; remote and on-ground sensing, spatial mapping; survey design and interviewing skills; communication skills (report writing and public presentation).

This course may be taken independently or in combination with the Wildlife Management and Conservation course in Summer Session I

BENEFITS OF TAKING BOTH COURSES

  • Students participating in two summer sessions in East Africa are eligible for a $600 discount.
  • Students earn 8 credits
  • Home school financial aid may be applied toward the program
  • Earning 8 credits likely will allow students to qualify for federal financial aid, depending on their particular situation
  • There are no prerequisites
  • Possible SFS travel grants may apply for airfare

FIELD EXPEDITIONS AND EXERCISES

 
  • Acquire quantitative skills to determine species density, diversity, and habitat preference among species within a conservation area; on trips, learn how to plan, prepare, and conduct a comprehensive game count of wildlife
  • Gain skills in collecting behavioral ecology data on birds, primates, elephants and other animals
  • Determine species-habitat relationships and differentiate between habitat specialists and habitat generalists; understand the implications of observed relationships for the management of animals and habitat
  • Through direct interaction and inquiry with local community members, assess local views on community wildlife conservation initiatives including identifying the various forms of human wildlife associated losses and people's attitudes towards wildlife and resource challenges

HOUSING
Students will stay at Moyo Hill Camp, our field station in Tanzania under The SFS Center for Wildlife Management Studies. Students will live in the Manyara area, about a 10 minutes drive from Lake Manyara National Park and a half hour from the famous Ngorongoro National Park. This wonderfully scenic area, world-renowned for its beauty, geography, history, and wildlife, is perched on an escarpment overlooking the Rift valley and the Ngorongoro Hills, with plenty of hiking trails to enjoy.


 


Program: Community Wildlife Management 

The Problem in Context
In recent years, there has been a steady shift in land use from purely pastoral to mixed agropastoral systems in the Maasai group ranches that occupy the land between Amboseli and Tsavo West National Parks in southern Kenya. This land use change is driven by various socioeconomic, cultural, and political factors. The integrity and quality of dispersal habitats for a wide variety of wildlife species that historically have dispersed across the group ranches while migrating between the parks is severly compromised. Such dispersal hindrances are turning protected areas such as Amboseli National Park into ecological islands that cannot sustain natural ecological processes nor maintain the high density and diversity of wildlife species that typically use these areas for dry season grazing. 

Program Description
Students will examine how land-use practices within Maasai group ranches (Kuku-Kimana-Mbirikani) can be sustainably managed to enhance the economic livelihood of the local population and at the same time promote wildlife conservation. This course also explores the potential for rethinking wildlife as a source of income generation, rather than as a competitor for space and water and/or as a threat to human endeavor. Students will gain a general overview of conservation issues, wildlife dispersal areas, and biodiversity conservation in Kenya while meeting and interviewing wildlife managers, learning practical field skills, and gaining insights into cultural perceptions by speaking with members of the Maasai community. In addition, students will spend time in field exercises collecting data for the Center's long-term research projects aimed at finding solutions to the human/wildlife conflict in Kenya. 




 

The appplication cycle for this program is not open at this time. Please check back later.