Tracking The Art of Tracking

The Employment of Trackers in Nature Conservation

Creating employment opportunities for trackers provides economic benefits to indigenous communities. In addition, non-literate trackers who have in the past been employed as unskilled labourers can gain recognition for their specialised expertise.

The employment of trackers will also help to retain traditional skills which may otherwise be lost in the near future. This has cultural significance in that communities will be able to make a unique contribution to conservation. This will create a sense of cultural ownership of conservation, which may well be one of the most important contributions traditional tracking can make.

Some of the most important applications of tracking would be in controlling poaching, in ecotourism, in environmental education and in scientific research.