Driven by data: Improved protected area effectiveness in Royal Manas National Park, Bhutan

Abstract

Abstract The necessity of rangers and other frontline staff for ensuring the protection and effective management of protected areas is well documented. The Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) was developed as a law enforcement monitoring tool with the aim of assisting management in the allocation of resources and strategic deployment of ranger patrols. The ability of SMART to contribute to improved protection depends heavily on effective application through an adaptive management framework. Royal Manas National Park (RMNP), Bhutan, presents an opportunity to review the use of a protected area law enforcement monitoring tool for improving the detection and reduction of illegal activities within a protected area through effective ranger patrols. Results from the analysis of 5 years of monitoring data collected by rangers indicates a marked improvement in patrol effort in RMNP and suggests that the effective deployment of law enforcement monitoring tools, when used as part of an adaptive management framework, can improve the detectability of poaching related threats, potentially resulting in an overall reduction of poaching threats through enabling the informed and targeted allocation of staff and resources.

Keywords

• adaptive management
• Bhutan
• monitoring tools
• patrol
• ranger
• SMART