Citizen research project focusses on leopards

The project, Ingwe Leopard Research, aims to highlight how conservation and tourism can work hand in hand to collect data. According to Marine Servonnat who took over Ingwe Leopard Research in November last year, they are in discussions with twenty more reserves to join their project. Ingwe Leopard Research is funded by the On Track Foundation, a UK-based charity, which is funded by On Track Safaris owned by wildlife conservationists, Will and Carol Fox. “I have an MSc in research and conservation, managed research projects in Greece, the Philippines, and South Africa, and published in a peer-review journal,” Servonnat explains.

“I also worked in the Okavango Delta, Botswana as a camp manager for three years. It is during that time, it became obvious to me that the safari industry has a role to play in conservation and participate in large citizen science monitoring programmes together with tourists who will become actors of conservation,” says Servonnat. “By going daily on safari, guides and guests have constant and long-term access to information on wildlife,” she said. Servonnat says leopards mainly occur outside of protected areas, yet most studies focus on populations inside protected areas. The reserves are mainly situated in the Waterberg and in the Hoedspruit areas and one in the North-West province.

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Reserves upload their sightings and camera trap data on the conservation mobile app, Smart. “Smart is used worldwide by conservation organisations to conduct anti-poaching patrols but also to monitor wildlife. GPS location, the number of an individual, age, sex, and photographs are uploaded on the secure cloud-based platform. She says data collected by visitors on the Latest Sightings app in the different national parks are also used. Sevonnat is currently developing partnerships with universities in the UK and South Africa in order to give opportunities to students to analyse the data as part of their thesis.

When enough data is collected, the results will be published and shared with the relevant stakeholders to enhance leopard conservation in South Africa. In May conferences will take place in Hoedspruit and then in the Waterberg to present the project to the wider community. Meetings with reserve managers will also take place. On Tuesday, May 23, there will be a conference at Thirsty Giraffe
Pub & Grill regarding the research. It will be hosted by the Hoedspruit Research & Conservation Club. For more information, email Servonnat at marine@ontrackfoundation.org.