The very first professional training course for the first group of park guards just finished. This forteen-day course took place in San Buenaventura from the 7th to the 20th of March, in the Madidi landscape. This course is part of the complementary training program in 'Management of Protected Areas for Park Guards', which was designed jointly by the Ministry of Education, the National Service of Protected Areas (SERNAP) and the Wildlife Conservation Society, with financial support from the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS).
This course was oriented towards park guards already holding a Certification of Competences awarded by the Ministry of Education, and who at this phase will be awarded the degree of Technical Assistant in Conservation, a necessary step towards receiving the title of Technician in Environmental Management and Natural Resources, which is the final objective of the training plan.
In this occasion, a group of 35 park guards from nine national protected areas participated. Topics on key aspects of managing protected areas such as the legal and institutional framework, territorial planning and management, protection, control and surveillance, natural resource management, tourism, culture and conservation, as well as climate change, risk management and social participation were addressed. Training focused on both the conceptual and practical aspects to promote direct application of the skills and new knowledge. WCS was in charge of the research and monitoring component, the use of SMART as monitoring tool, and the management of natural resources.