Students press for role in conservation
In 1996, students and staff from Sam Ratulangi University (UNSRAT) in North Sulawesi, Indonesia met with Randall Kyes, a professor in the University of Washington’s Psychology Department, and voiced concern over the status of their region’s endemic primate species. Dr. Kyes has long been involved in international research and training as Head of the Division of International Programs at the University’s National Primate Research Center. During the meeting, the students expressed a desire to take a more active role in the conservation of these primates. Dr. Kyes, along with his Indonesian colleagues from Bogor Agricultural University and UNSRAT decided to offer a field course in primate behavior and ecology — modeled after his long-running course on Tinjil Island, Indonesia..

Matching talent with training Training programs such as these provide excellent means of identifying individuals whose interests, skills and desire make them ideal candidates for employment with organizations that can directly affect implementation of conservation programs. As Dr. Kyes notes, “the long-term success of any conservation program depends in large part on the ability of the local people to take leading roles in the conduct of those programs. The ultimate goal of this program is to establish a growing body of well-trained, regional experts who are capable of implementing the programs needed to ensure the future of their country’s important natural resources and the conservation of biodiversity.” Conservation happens one step at a time. Education is the first step in nearly any endeavor. With programs such as this, hope becomes a full-fledged reality for conservation. Links: University of Washington Conservation Profiles

The Tangkoko Nature Reserve, an area of particular ecological significance because of its rich biodiversity, was selected as the site for the first field course in 1998. The three-week course proved so popular that it has been offered annually since then, with Woodland Park Zoo providing funding since 1999. This field course, now focused broadly on conservation biology, has become such a valued training opportunity for UNSRAT students that it has been approved as part of the university’s formal curriculum. Additionally, other universities in North Sulawesi and the Indonesian Department of Forestry have asked to join in the field training. To date, more than 105 conservationists have participated.

Program expands to Nepal
In 2002, the program expanded beyond Indonesia’s borders to Nepal. Dr. Kyes, working in collaboration with Dr. Mukesh K. Chalise of the Nepal Biodiversity Research Society and Tribhuvan University along with the Natural History Society of Nepal and the Nepal Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, have conducted the training program annually — with support from WPZ since 2003. The program focuses on the endangered wildlife in Nepal’s Himalayan Langtang National Park.

Expansion continued in 2002 when Dr. Kyes was asked to take a leading role in an exceptional conservation education initiative founded by Pierre Kakule Vwirasihikya of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Pierre, who heads the Tayna Gorilla Reserve, established the Tayna Center for Conservation Biology. The center, which is government accredited, offers specialized training for local university students to help them assume leading roles in the management and conservation of their region’s biodiversity. The students are children of local landowners who have contributed land for the creation of community reserves in the eastern part of the DRC. Inaugural classes began in January 2004 with support from the WPZ.

The program continues to grow with the most recent field course conducted this past October 2004 at the Huangshan National Reserve, Anhui Province, China – an area noted for its Tibetan macaque (monkey) population. Conducted in collaboration with Dr. Jin-Hua Li from Anhui University in Hefei, the field course provided training for both university students and reserve staff.