Pang Sida National Park, THAILAND (November 24th, 2011) – Twenty-five selected forest rangers from Thailand’s national park system began an intensive monitoring and analysis training course today under a new U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) funded program called ARREST (Asia’s Regional Response to Endangered Species Trafficking).

The park rangers from Pang Sida, Ta Phraya National Parks and Dong Yai Wildlife Sanctuary were selected for high aptitude by their Park Superintendents and will train together for 6 days under the guidance of experienced instructors from FREELAND Foundation in Pang Sida National Park. Navigation by GPS, field data collection utilizing various techniques leading to use of standardized reporting which aids comparative analysis will be introduced.

Designed to dramatically improve the security of Asia’s remaining forest reserves through use of forest monitoring technology and techniques, the PROTECT (Protected area Operational and Tactical Enforcement Conservation Training) monitoring course delivers training that helps rangers improve their understanding of wildlife population and poaching trends within their parks. This understanding will in turn enable them to make more strategic resource management decisions, improving wildlife protection.

Wildlife and forests in Thailand are under fierce attack by poachers, traffickers and illegal loggers. Poaching gangs are plundering the nation’s forests to supply trafficking syndicates with everything from tigers, bears, deer, and elephant ivory, to various kinds of plants and trees, such as rosewood, teak, and other valuable species. With finite resources available to park managers, targeted park patrolling and enforcement is crucial to better protect wild animals, plants and habitats.

Designed and delivered by FREELAND Foundation, the PROTECT course utilizes ASEAN Center for Biodiversity (ACB) competency standards for protected area law enforcement jobs. This innovative PROTECT Monitoring and Analysis training course was sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the US Department of Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).