Assam Forest Officials Receive GPS Training For Accurate Elephant Population Estimation

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Posted in Assam, Featured, Northeast
NET Web Desk

Aaranyak, a prominent biodiversity conservation organization based in Guwahati, provided Global Positioning System (GPS) training to frontline forest officials from various divisions of the Assam Forest Department on the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Goalpara, Assam, Tezas Mariswamy’s request.

The initiative is part of the ongoing Elephant Estimation 2024 exercise aimed at assessing elephant populations and guiding conservation efforts.

Expert teams led by Aaranyak’s senior official, Arup Kumar Das, conducted GPS training sessions in Goalpara, Kamrup West, and Tinsukia Wildlife Divisions. The training included GIS-based block maps, with approximately 70 forest officials benefiting from Goalpara’s session alone. Practical sessions covered GPS usage and uploading block boundaries, as per reports.

In response to requests from various divisions, Aaranyak experts extended technical support and prepared block maps for the Elephant Estimation 2024. The efforts included assisting the Tinsukia Wildlife Division in preparing block maps for the ongoing estimation at Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, conducted from February 20 to 27.

In addition to GPS training, Aaranyak provided essential mobile app training for fieldwork. A practical session focused on uploading block boundaries using Base Camp software, enhancing the ability of approximately 45-50 forest officials across different divisions.

Dr. Dipankar Lahkar, a conservation biologist with Aaranyak, contributed by providing Elephant Population Estimation training to the staff of Chirang Forest Division. The objective is to guide conservation efforts, assess population health, understand habitat requirements, and formulate strategies to mitigate human-elephant conflicts.

The ongoing Elephant Estimation 2024 is poised to benefit from these initiatives, fostering a collaborative effort between experts and frontline forest officials in Assam.

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