San Master Tracker
Programme
Creating employment opportunities for indigenous San Master Trackers in the Kalahari to ensure that tracking skills will not die out.
The main aim of the San Tracker Master Programme in Africa is to create employment opportunities for indigenous San Master Trackers in the Kalahari to ensure that tracking skills will not die out. The wider longer term aims of the Programme are crucial in providing an invaluable resource for nature conservation worldwide by monitoring rare and endangered species and by helping prevent the poaching of endangered species. Tracking skills are a vital source of information about human evolution, and science and the human species would suffer a permanent and irreplaceable loss if they vanished. As such, this group of Master Trackers represents a unique part of humanity’s cultural heritage.
Imagine if you found yourself in a unique position to help save the last fifteen tigers. Or, if you had the opportunity to preserve the Dead Sea Scrolls or the Bayeaux Tapestry. What would you do? What choice would you make? Historically, there have been many crossroads that individuals, communities and nations have stood and decided which paths to take. Consequences then followed. What position might we take now with the benefit of hindsight if we stood at an important historical crossroads?
Well, it so happens we are at perhaps the very last fork in the road when it comes to helping preserve one of our own species most ancient and important cultural lineages - the Master Trackers of the hunter-gatherer culture of the Ju/Hoansi Bushmen - there are only fifteen active master trackers and hunters left at the last count in 2018 the situation today is an urgent and critical one.
Being the longest, continuous intact human culture, the San people afford a unique chance to learn so much from them, not least their exceptional and astounding ability to read the earth for stories and track and trail animals for days, representing a continuous tradition that goes back more than 100 000 years. Their tracking skills are a vital source of information about human evolution, and science would suffer a permanent and irreplaceable loss if they vanished. As such, these very last few remaining bow hunters who are master trackers represent a unique part of humanity’s cultural heritage.
The longer term aims of the Programme are crucial in providing an invaluable resource for nature conservation worldwide by monitoring rare and endangered species and by helping prevent the poaching of endangered species. Tracking skills are a vital source of information about human evolution, and science and the human species would suffer a permanent and irreplaceable loss if they vanished. As such, this group of Master Trackers represents a unique part of humanity’s cultural heritage.
It is important to stress that this invitation came from the Ju/‘Hoansi Bushmen themselves. We are fully aware of the trap which many Western organisations fall into of thinking they know what’s best for other communities. Our primary guide is the renowned anthropologist, scientist and founder of CyberTracker, Louis Liebenberg, who has been working with the Bushmen in the Kalahari since 1985, and being a true master tracker himself is highly respected and trusted. He was asked by the elders in 1990 to help them to pass on their cultural practices to the younger generation of San before they are lost forever.
It is crucial that a programme of employment creation be initiated in order to ensure that their invaluable tracking expertise is passed on to the younger generation of San by incentivising and motivating them to keep their knowledge and skills alive. Teaming up with Louis, puts us in a very privileged position to have a unique opportunity to help preserve one of the oldest and most significant cultural expressions of our human lineage, through this kind of immersive experience.
The money raised by your participation in Tracking The Kalahari goes towards directly supporting these communities and will be a lifeline of employment for them whilst also encouraging these ancient and important cultural practices. It also enables these trips to take place. Any surplus raised will be spent on resources or capital expenses the village may need after consultation with the elders and Louis Liebenberg.
Louis Liebenberg's Vision
The exceptional skills of indigenous Kalahari San Master Trackers may soon be lost, so this project aims to identify and help preserve the unique expertise in tracking that has been passed down for over 100,000 years and is a vital source of information about human evolution. With the increasing environmental challenges and the need for effective conservation management, the Master Tracker Programme aims to develop the highest standards of excellence in the art of tracking. The programme combines academic research and practical tracking skills to develop future generations of Master Trackers, ensuring that their invaluable expertise is passed on to the younger generation and trackers from around the world.
Louis has been working with Kalahari San Master Trackers since 1985. Over this period about 90% of these Master Trackers have passed away. However, he estimates that there may be more than 100 Master Trackers in the Kalahari who have not yet been identified and certified. This may be one of the largest living populations of traditional Master Trackers alive and may therefore be an invaluable resource for nature conservation worldwide.
The world is experiencing a period of rapid environmental change linked to habitat change, pollution, and climate change. Monitoring biodiversity is critical for effective conservation management. There are too few professional ecologists to deal with the scale of environmental challenges. Furthermore, global biodiversity conservation is seriously challenged by gaps in the geographical coverage of existing information. Locally based monitoring is particularly important in developing countries, where it can empower local communities to manage their natural resources. Trackers can play a critical role in preventing poaching of endangered species such as rhino, elephant and tigers. Trackers can also be of great value for monitoring rare and endangered species.
Over the last twenty years Louis has developed the CyberTracker Tracker Certification system which has gained international recognition for maintaining the highest standards in tracking skills . More than 5000 tracker certificates have been issued worldwide, including Tracker Levels I, II, III, Professional Tracker, Senior Tracker and Master Tracker. The success of the CyberTracker certification has resulted in a growing number of tracker training centres around the world. However, there is a critical shortage of Master Trackers who can provide the highest levels of tracker training to the new generation of trackers. At present there are only 10 certified Master Trackers worldwide.
The Master Tracker Programme will develop the highest standards of excellence in the art of tracking. The programme will combine academic research and practical tracking skills to implement a rigorous scientific peer review process to develop the future generations of Master Trackers.
Project Objectives
The main objective is to create employment opportunities for indigenous San Master Trackers in the Kalahari to ensure that tracking skills will not die out. A key problem is that potential employers do not know who the true Master Trackers are or where to find them. To overcome this problem, we need to identify the best indigenous trackers and issue them with Master Tracker certificates so that they can be provided with employment
01
Certify Master Trackers
We are aiming to provide 50 to 100 Master Tracker certificates to indigenous San trackers in the Kalahari in Namibia and Botswana.
03
Build a Network of Guides
Develop a network of tour guides who can conduct expeditions to the Kalahari in order to create jobs for trackers.
05
Promote Employment
Promote the employment of Master Trackers in scientific research, such as the Tracking in Caves project, wildlife surveys using animal track counts and scientific research on animal behaviour.
02
Support Young Trackers
Identify young trackers who are reasonably fluent in English to act as translators for elder Master Trackers, and who may be mentored to become the next generation of trackers.
04
Job Creation
Promote potential job creation by the Wildlife departments of Namibia and Botswana to employ trackers on a full-time basis in nature conservation.
Long Term Objectives
Master Trackers employed in the Kalahari will conduct ongoing wildlife monitoring and mentor trackers from other parts of the world. Since bow hunting (and therefore the real need to track) is now banned in Botswana, Master Trackers need to be taught new skills so that they can be employed to do wildlife monitoring, animal track surveys and work with scientists conducting research on animal
behaviour. These skills include the use of the CyberTracker software to record their observations in the field.
In Namibia there are still a number of trackers who hunt with the traditional bow-and-arrow. This provides the unique opportunity to maintain traditional bow-and-arrow hunting and tracking skills as well as developing new skills in using the CyberTracker software for wildlife monitoring. Only by developing a rigorous scientific research programme will Master Tracker skills be retained and developed into the future.