Capacity Building

Graduate Training in Wildlife and Ecosystem Management
Graduate degree programs that train wildlife biologists and managers have been developed with US Fish & Wildlife Service partners in various regions of the globe. These graduate training programs offer students high quality, post-graduate education in natural resource conservation and management as well as in environmental education. This important training provides the tools necessary to deal with complex resource issues while building local expertise throughout the world.

The Service supported graduate programs provide training for future conservation professionals, local leaders, and policymakers, offering master of science (M.S.) and certificate level degrees, as well as some doctor of philosophy (PhD.) degrees. As the key to building local expertise, the graduate training programs are the cornerstone for the Service’s international capacity building efforts.

The Service supports graduate training in wildlife and ecosystem management at the following institutions:

• Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India
• Catholic University of Northern Chile, Coquimbo, Chile
• Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
• National Autonomous University of Costa Rica, Omar Dengo Campus, Costa Rica
• National University of Cordoba, Center for Applied Zoology, Cordoba, Argentina
• The Postgraduate College, Salinas de Hidalgo, San Luis Potosi, Mexico
• St. Louis Zoo/University of Missouri, St. Louis at Guatuzos Wildlife Refuge, Nicaragua
• The Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India

Reserve Manager Training
Designating protected areas does not guarantee achievement of conservation and sustainable resource use goals. In some countries, only a fraction of the protected area managers needed for conservation are available to assume such responsibilities and frequently few are trained in the skills to achieve successful management. The Reserve Managers Training program was developed to address this need and provides training specifically to those individuals managing protected areas.

The Service supports reserve manager training at the following institutions:

• Ducks Unlimited of Mexico, Celestun, Yucatan, Mexico
• Ministry of Natural Resources, Russian Federation
• Organization for Tropical Studies, San Jose, Costa Rica
• PRONATURA, Chiapas, Mexico
• State Forestry Administration, People's Republic of China
• State Forestry Institute of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
• The Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India

Park Warden Training
In some countries protected area park guards are the only public presence of the national government. Therefore they need to be trained not only to deal with the day-to-day issues of wildlife, law enforcement and habitat management, but also to improve their communication and outreach skills. For some participants this is their first on-the-job training experience.

The Service offers park warden training in numerous countries in partnership with:

• Instituto de Historia Natural, Chiapas, Mexico
• Ministry of Natural Resources, Russian Federation
• State Forestry Administration, People's Republic of China
• State Forestry Institute of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
• The Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India

Biological Documentation and Information Centers
Reference materials, a basic building block for all conservation activities, are in short supply throughout many developing nations. Establishing archives and clearinghouses for such information is another major element of the Service’s focus on capacity building. These regional clearing houses provide access to technical literature and other documents not available from traditional sources. The Service works to increase access to books, scientific journals, unpublished reports such as “gray literature,” and to improve information exchange and collaboration by funding a network of Biological Documentation and Information Centers (or “BIODOCs”).

The Service currently supports Biological Documentation and Information Centers at the following institutions:

• National Autonomous University of Costa Rica, Omar Dengo Campus, Costa Rica
• National University of Argentina, Cordoba Center for Applied Zoology, Cordoba, Argentina

Decision-Maker Training
These innovative courses help policymakers understand conservation and development issues so they have a basic foundation and are equipped to formulate and implement policies having a direct impact on wildlife and natural resources. This important component of the Service’s capacity building program trains select groups of domestic and international policymakers, many with little background in the environmental sciences and issues related to conservation and sustainable development, to make well informed decisions.

• Costa Rica annual United States and Latin American Decision-Makers Courses, Organization for Tropical Studies in San Jose, Costa Rica

In-Service Training for Government Personnel
These programs, some that include a certificate of achievement, are designed for employees of government wildlife and conservation agencies. To continue success of employee participation, close collaboration with local governments is critical, so the Service works closely with foreign parties to ensure that the programs appropriately reflect local needs and issues.

The Service currently supports the training for government personnel in partnership with the following institutions:

• Instituto Nacional de Ecologia, Mexico
• Ministry of Natural Resources, Russian Federation
• National Council for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity in Mexico, in Merida and Monterrey, Mexico
• State Forestry Administration, People's Republic of China
• The Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India

Community Education
The Service has been a long-time supporter of using quality education and outreach campaigns to ensure long-term appreciation of wildlife, because without buy-in from local communities, the best planned conservation initiatives will not be able to succeed. The Wildlife Without Borders programs support a wide array of traditional and innovative community education initiatives across the globe.

The Service currently supports community education efforts in partnership with the following initiatives:

• Bat Conservation International, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
• Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India
• Neotropical Center for Training on Wetlands in Chile, Coquimbo, Chile
• San Diego Natural History Museum-PROBEA, Baja California, Mexico
• Scarlet macaw conservation and community outreach in the Mayan Biosphere Reserve, Peten, Guatemala, with ARCAS
• Tikay Wasi Environmental Education Program in coastal Peru, with APECO
• West Indian whistling duck and wetlands conservation and community outreach project in the Caribbean
• The Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India

Information and Technology Exchange
In an effort to share wildlife conservation and management knowledge and skills, the Service has a number of programs which facilitate the exchange of wildlife management and conservation information and technology between the United States and other countries. These efforts allow for better efficacy for both parties involved in the partnership, as well as a better understanding of the challenges professional wildlife conservationists face globally.

The Service currently facilitates the following information and technology exchanges:

• Academy of Sciences, Russian Federation
• Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India
• Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India
• Centre for Environmental Education, Ahmedabad, India
• Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bangalore, India
• Instituto Para el Desarrollo Sustentable de Mesoamerica, A.C., Chiapas, Mexico
• Institute for Restoration of National Environment, Nagercoil, India
• Ministry of Natural Resources, Russian Federation
• National Primate Centre, Jodhpur, India
• Punjab University, Chandigarh, India
• State Forestry Administration, People's Republic of China
• The Nilgiris Wildlife and Environment Association, Udagamandalam, India
• The Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India