Elephant monitoring work and DNA analysis in Seima Protestion Forest allowed project managers to identify key areas that are frequently used by elephants. During the dry season elephants were shown to congregate at permanent water sources, before dispersing over a much larger area during the rainy season.
The law enforcement strategy for Seima Protestion Forest reflects this information, with additional manpower focused on these dry season 'hotspots' to ensure that these elephants are protected from poaching.
This work was funded by several grants from the United States Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS). Entitled 'Elephant Conservation and Capacity Building in Seima Biodiversity Conservation Area', this project entered its third phase in early 2009.