Botanical experts from UNAD will organize a 1-year training program in villages surrounding the Park under the direction of Mathieu Guèye, a specialist in ethnobotany research. SOS SAHEL will fund two sets of workshops and training courses in both dry and rainy seasons. Trainings will engage three villages on the park periphery to train 30 individuals (50% women) to conduct biodiversity surveys using INATURALIST to track data records for local species observations. Villagers will receive training in species identification, description, mapping and tracking, focusing on plants and wildlife species critical for people and for conservation. At the close of this training program, a conference will gather local communities, park officials and municipality authorities to share data on biodiversity resulting from field experiences. The data collected will feed INATURALIST with reliable information on species of interest for conservation purposes.  An illustrated botanical handbook will be compiled, translated into Wolof and shared with local communities, local government officals, and national park authorities to foster lasting collaboration among stakeholders.

The training sessions are a key step toward larger use of INATURALIST in communities on the periphery of the Niokolo-koba National Park. Hence, trainees will be selected to pursue the tracking and to disseminate this practice to others after the project (ie. schools, local government, local conservation associations, community members) exponentially increasing further community engagement. 

The training will be implemented outdoors, using an “active participation” approach. Trainings will include map reading, GPS positioning, identification of plants, selection of emblematic plants, and use of INATURALIST to house the biodiversity data. Trainees will be supplied with smartphones and tablets, to take pictures, compare data, access to INATURALIST. 

The surveys will begin active local collaboration on conservation issues, enabling stakeholders to discuss conservation measures in and outside the park. A closing conference will include presentations from trainees, SOS SAHEL representatives, community leaders and a series of panel discussions to discuss the future of collaboration based on information gathered in INATURALIST.