Mongabay Commentary
Aspects of traditional BaAka culture and knowledge are intimately tied to their dependence on and respect for the forest. This relationship with the forest has allowed the BaAka to thrive in the Congo Basin for millennia. However, colonialism and the creation of protected areas in Central Africa have led to the forced removal of BaAka Indigenous peoples from their ancestral lands in the region, in addition to reported human rights abuses. To address these injustices effectively and equitably, conservation practitioners working in Central Africa should adopt a human rights-based conservation approach which acknowledges and supports the critical ways in which the BaAka lead local conservation efforts and incorporates their forest tenure rights as a measure of overall conservation success.
Mongabay Podcast
Ana Verahrami joins the Mongabay Newscast to explain why forest elephants’ role as keystone species makes their survival crucial to the well-being of tropical forests and their other inhabitants, and to play some of the recordings informing the Elephant Listening Project’s work.
Laser Technology Inc. News Article
Elephant Listening Project research team member Ana Verahrami shares how Laser Technology Inc.’s (LTI) TruPulse® rangefinders play a crucial role in conducting a forest elephant study with accuracy and precision.
Kestrel Weather Video
In this episode of Shoot the Breeze, Ana Verahrami discusses the use of the Kestrel DROP data logger to measure and document environmental conditions while conducting fieldwork in Central Africa. Focused on using acoustic monitoring to study forest elephants, Verahrami aims to use the Kestrel to account for how weather conditions influence how sound carries over distance.
Published Photograph
The photo illustrates forest elephants drinking mineral-rich water at Dzanga Bai in the Central African Republic.
Medium Blog
This blog highlights several of my favorite stories from my time conducting fieldwork in the Central African Republic.