Christine Kouman
- Project name: Evaluation of the success of and generating local community support for Mecistops cataphractus reintroductions in Taï National Park, Côte d’Ivoire.
- Project site: Taï National Park
- EDGE species: West African slender-snouted crocodile, Mecistops cataphractus
- Active: 2020 - ongoing
Biography
Christine is currently a PhD student at Nangui Abrogoua University in Côte d’Ivoire. Prior to her PhD Christine was a teaching assistant with the Ivorian Office of Parks & Reserves, teaching others about crocodile capturing as well as radio tracking methods.
From the Fellowship, Christine hopes to gain a useful network of peers with whom she will be able to discuss specific areas of conservation concern and potentially develop solutions to these. Further to this she is looking forward to building her capacity in the human dimensions of conservation such as holding workshops and community meetings. She would also like to increase her knowledge of scientific and technical capacity for conservation purposes.
EDGE Project
Christine’s project aims to increase the slender-snouted crocodile population in Taï National Park.
Her objectives are to:
- Initiate local community engagement for slender-snouted crocodile conservation in five villages around Taï National Park;
- Determine spatial requirements of 30 slender-snouted crocodile individuals inside Taï National Park;
- Evaluate the success of the reintroduction of 15 slender-snouted crocodiles in Taï National Park by Q1 2022.