In order to ensure gender mainstreaming, the project will involve women in both the training, field exercises and data analysis. In the filed it is not clear how locals will look at it but field officers will be encouraged to suggest the inclusion of women into the local guide positions, though most women are particularly scared of the sight of some reptiles like snakes, crocodiles and skinks. If allowed, women will be encouraged to take part in night patrols but if not, their participation during the day time survey and trap monitoring will be encouraged. In the education and sensitization meetings and workshops, the involvement of women will be of priority. The project coordinator will ensure that for every meeting the ratio of men to women is at least 60:40 and in every deliberation, women will be given priority. Result of the work will be kept at RAP-SL resource center and it will be accessible by everyone, regardless of sex and nationality.

Locals usually have wealth of knowledge about their immediate surroundings that could be of importance to scientific researches or surveys; therefore, RAP-SL will tap into that knowledge, makes the best use of them and also improve upon them through the provision of refined and structured ones for better understanding of the scientific knowledge. Field staff will be encouraged to always listen to what locals have got say before sharing their ideas and information and be always ready to present photos of species captured in those communities for assurance that yes those species were indeed collected from their localities. This firsthand information or data sharing process will raise the awareness and or assure locals of their local knowledge about reptile and amphibian species. For staff, the training exercise will serve as a capacity building process which RAP-SL hopes will last since they will be in the field even after the proposed project. The use of different tools and skills used in the survey is hoped to last in the minds of all those that will be involved. Result of the project will include a list supported photos of reptile and amphibian species recorded around the Western Area. For those recorded from calls, the calls will be processed for easy playback and further search will be made for discovery. For whatever lessons learned from the field, staff will be encouraged to include such ideas, stories and experiences for inclusion into the final report. These will be compiled and copied on a CD and made available to the Conservation and Wildlife Management Unit of MAFFS and copies sent to the University and College Libraries in the Western Area and make available to every interested person. A film documentary or a PowerPoint presentation will be produced and shown on the national TV for the view of the general populace.

RAP-SL is presently funded by US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for Marine Turtle Conservation in Sierra Leone. The project is a continuation of previous effort on sea turtle conservation in the country and activities under the project include beach and bycatch monitoring, education and sensitization, and community development. Funding from USFWS is constant and activities will largely be on sea turtles but with extra responsibility for monitors to collect data on other reptile species and amphibians. Also in most cases, RAP-SL coordinator has been contacted for some EIAs in the country, so far data collected from such recent activities are presently archived. For the national survey of reptile and amphibian species in Sierra Leone, RAP-SL hopes to raise $1million within its first five years and the said funds will go towards head and regional offices, Staff salaries, Vehicles, Bikes, Cameras, GPSs, Fuel and maintenance, Consultancies, Computers, Printers, Binoculars, Field guides, Stationery, Specimen/species handling materials, traps and other field and office materials. RAP-SL will establish a remote data collecting scheme within communities by collaborating with some community groups or youths on the sharing of information on cases of reptiles and amphibians sightings whether dead or alive. These resources once mobilized will be used to strengthen job creation, skill acquisition, technology transfer and income generation for concerned communities.

This survey will inform nation-level biodiversity registers and update conservation strategies and policies on reptiles and amphibians in this habitat. It will also strengthen ecotourism processes and sustainable forest management planning.