Indonesian Conservation Management Practices & the Australian ...

International Context25expectations, and lacked follow-up and accountability from the program supervisors. 1Over-committing through the proposal writing process has then set a trend of notreporting failure to achieve stated program objectives due to a perception that this willhave negative consequences for further funding 2 .• Each program that WCS manages in Indonesia has its own work plan, budget andsupervisor. This should provide the necessary responsibility and accountability toensure that agreed outcomes are achieved in the field. A process of monthly reportingand annual meetings allows for effective program evaluation and any necessaryoperational adjustments 3 .4. North Sumatra - Tangkahan, Medan and Aceh ProvinceFlora and Fauna International (FFI), Medan, Sumatran Elephant ConservationProgram. Conservation Response Unit (CRU), TangkahanMcKelson spent eight weeks at the project site in Tangkahan in Northern SumatraProvince. This is adjacent to the Gunung Leuser National Park (GLNP), which is one ofthree national parks within the 2.5 million hectare UNESCO ‘Tropical Rainforest Heritageof Sumatra’ World Heritage Site.The primary source of income for the Tangkahan community used to be illegal logging inthe GLNP. They have ceased this activity and are developing a more sustainable longtermalternative based around ecotourism. The key element of this initiative has beenthe use of trained captive elephants and their mahouts from Aceh, which constitute theprimary operational units of the FFI Conservation Response Units (CRU) to addressHuman Elephant Conflict (HEC) (Azmi, 2007).Flora and Fauna International work with their Sumatran Elephant Conservation Program(SECP) in a joint initiative with GLNP and the local tourism organisation, LembagaPariwisata Tangkahan (LPT), to operate the Tangkahan CRU. This Unit is based atTangkahan and comprises seven elephants and their mahouts. The team uses a range ofconservation strategies to assist the community in achieving their ecotourism goals.McKelson participated in many activities at this program and was able to use her priorexperiences from the other programs on her Fellowship to effectively evaluate it and applynew skills. Working with Program Manager, Azmi, McKelson was given the opportunity towork at the same level and participated in strategic planning and program management.McKelson also had the opportunity to visit Banda Aceh and other key regions to meetother members of the FFI team in Indonesia, and gain their perspectives and opinions onconservation management.ActivitiesDevelopment of CRU staff concept plan and ongoing staff training planMcKelson had the opportunity to work with the CRU team after she evaluated the programsbasic needs. This included redeveloping the ecotourism elephant trek:• The trek route was revised to increase its effectiveness in raising conservation awarenessand enhancing the tourist experience.• The trekking times were set rather than being unpredictable.1 Meeting with Dr Nick Brickle, 6/02/07, Program Manager, Wildlife Conservation Society Indonesia.2 Meeting with Dr Nick Brickle, 6/02/07, Program Manager, Wildlife Conservation Society Indonesia.3 Meeting with Dr Nick Brickle, 6/02/07, Program Manager, Wildlife Conservation Society Indonesia.