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The reserve’s existent administrative structures
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Staff - When SRN initiated its activities, there were only 18 game guards who were civil servants. Currently, the Niassa Reserve is managed in the field by a team of 130 staff , 100 of which are permanent workers, all hired and paid by the SRN. The senior staff of the Conservation and Management Department, including the Chief of the anti-poaching unit and the Chief of Radio Communication as well as the staff of the Maintenance and Infrastructure, Administration and Community Development Departments, all operate from the Main Camp in Mbatamila. The game guards, totaling 80 are based in the ten outposts.
Facilities – The Main Camp in Mbatamila and the Outposts
The Reserve had no working or accommodation facilities at all. In the process of establishing these facilities, SRN followed the principles of simple design, use of local materials and local skills to assure easy maintenance and cost effectiveness. Building, renovating and maintaining the existent offices and housing for the staff, both at the HQ in Mbatamila and the ten outposts, has been a permanent job.
Main camp – Mbatamila Currently, the Main Camp is subdivided in working and accommodation areas and it comprises a number of permanent buildings. In the working area there is an office building with four rooms used by the reserve warden, the conservation and management team, the community development officers and the administration team.
A well organized workshop building is divided with rooms for each type of activities and storage for spare parts. There is also a carpenter’s small workshop. The storage building has three separate blocks for storage of materials, food and fuel.
In the camp there is also an airstrip with 1500 mt that can take a King Air.
Accommodation facilities include a dormitory for the junior staff relatively close to the working area and further away an house for the reserve warden, six houses a kitchen and dining area for the senior staff. In addition, the main camp has an house and three tents for visitors as well as a dining area also for visitors.
Outposts - Currently there are ten outposts located in the Reserve. Each outpost has 5 small houses for the game guards and a common area.
Entrance gate posts - There is only one “entrance gate” in Niassa – the one on Lugenda River Bridge on the Marrupa – Mecula road. There is an old and rusty sign and a barrier, which indicates the entrance in the reserve.
Office and field equipment – Two laptop computers and two printers, are currently used by the warden and the community officer. A bushmail system has been installed in the reserve, which allows an improved communication via email using the HF radio network.
The reserve has a radio network for communication between the HQ and the outposts, which is operated with solar panels and batteries. The scouts are well equipped with uniforms, boots, barrets, raincoats, water bottles, and tents and each outpost has bicycles, GPS units and VHF radios. The Niassa Reserve Management Unit benefits of three Land Rovers, two tractors, two trailers, a truck and a knight towed grader for road maintenance.
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