No fewer than 15 park rangers recently concluded a five-day training programme on Global Position System (GPS), held at the Department of Parks and Wildlife Management conference hall.
The programme, supported by the United Nations Development Programme seeks to ease data collection relevant to the day-to-day management of the parks.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. Ousainou Touray, Senior Wildlife Officer at the Department of Parks and Wildlife management underscored the importance of the training, noting that with the use of GPS, park rangers would be able to keep accurate data collected from the field for future planning.
According to him, GPS uses a standard format in collecting data and proper keeping of records of raw data for the use of references. He stated that the importance of capacitising park rangers cannot be over-emphasised, as they are entrusted to protect and safeguard the country’s remaining biodiversity to ensure the availability of natural resources for the benefit of future generation.
For his part, Mr. James E. Gorham, Natural Resources Management Specialist stated that the training on Global Position System is a basic entry level for park rangers, who will need to use GPS for proper data collection.
According to Mr. Gorham, GPS is used in the fields to conduct scientific assignments, which is relevant for reference, planning and development in the field of biodiversity protection and restoration. He noted that the training equips the participants with the skills and knowledge on how to collect and store relevant data for future use.
In his closing remarks, Mr. Mamadou L. Gassama, Senior Conservation Officer for Policy and Programmes noted that the participants are looking into three difference categories within their various parks namely, the Ornithology Group (Birds family), Marine and Terrestrial (Mammals) and the Botanical or the tree family.
According to him, with the use of this latest scientific technology instrument called GPS, there will be effective and accurate data collection system in line with world standards. Mr. Gassama commended UNDP and other development partners for their support in making the training a success.
