Page 493 - The Veterinary Laboratory and Field Manual 3rd Edition

430 Matilde Tomaselli and Patricia Curry

Box 11.1 Checklist for professionals engaged in participatory wildlife surveillance

Knowledge about the local context, culture and traditions
Methods implemented must respect participants’ cultural norms and beliefs. For best chance of suc-
cess, sampling and surveillance/monitoring activities must not violate these and should blend with
practices already in use.
Co-identification of relevant stakeholders for the surveillance system
Community engagement is vital beginning at the early stage of the programme. Collaborative efforts
are needed to identify all relevant stakeholders.
Co-design the surveillance programme (for example, identification of objectives, resources avail-
able, limitations and constraints, data management plan, evaluation plan)
The community/ies involved should actively participate in creating the scope and design of the
programme. To ensure long-term sustainability, the purpose of the surveillance activities must be
clear and have strong local relevance.
Capacity-building for data gathering, analyses, and communication
The sustainability of the programme is ensured by building local capacity for all components of the
surveillance. A detailed plan for capacity-building should be in place for any participatory wildlife surveil-
lance programme.
Implementation of active surveillance activities (for example, local knowledge gathering
with participatory epidemiology or PE tools, sample collection by hunters and field disease
investigations)
• Personnel involved in PE activities (gathering, analyses or reporting) must be familiar with the ethical
principles that apply when working with and gathering knowledge from people;
• Personnel involved in sampling activities must be familiar with safe handling and sampling proce-
dures to minimize health hazards.
For further details refer to next section ‘Additional practical considerations for data gathering through
local knowledge, hunter-based sampling and field disease investigations’.
Flexibility, adaptability, and optimization
Preparing as much as possible for challenges and unexpected events can help optimize results.
Timeliness in data analyses and communication
A local champion for the programme who is charged with the task of ensuring regular communication
can facilitate good and constant communication. Meeting in person at planned times and having all team
members report results back to community/ies in person are other vital aspects of communication.
Co-design of appropriate response and mitigation measures
Response is essential. Co-designing the response strategy with all stakeholders is critical for its suc-
cessful implementation, as well as the success of the overall programme.
Stakeholder and team feedback and programme evaluation

An evaluation and feedback plan should be in place both throughout and at the end of the programme
to allow for the continued optimization of the surveillance.
Collaborative programme re-design based on feedback and evaluation
The surveillance programme should not be viewed as fixed and not modifiable; rather, it should be
envisioned as a flexible tool that can be adapted according to the modified needs and circumstances.
The collaborative re-design of the programme is a process to achieve improved outcomes.

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