Watering spots in Sikunzu farming settlement used to be the bane of farmers’ lives. An approaching elephant bull could cause significant damage to a crop in minutes, leaving livelihoods in tatters.
In community meetings, families living along well-used elephant paths were urged to relocate their homes or put curfews in place to avoid night-time encounters. People learned to light fires, bang pots or slap the river water to chase animals away. These strategies were never perfect, but they helped people and wildlife co-exist.
Smart collaring for warning signals
Under Simalaha’s Smart Park initiative – technology is used in a protected area in support of conservation efforts – bull elephants have been fitted with GPS collars and their movements are being tracked on EarthRanger. Digital ‘geofences’ around villages trigger alerts to the operations room whenever elephants approach.
Simalaha is now equipped with a radio network covering the entire conservancy. The operations room has been equipped with LED screens, solar power and a reliable internet link that allows communities and community scouts to stay connected.
From there, operations staff immediately notify village action groups. Community members still use their age-old tactics – lighting fires or making noise – but now they do so with advance warning, not after a herd has already arrived.
“We are protecting lives by collaring certain bull elephants and creating virtual fences around the communities of Simalaha,” says Colette Terblanche, Project Manager for Peace Parks Foundation’s Combating Wildlife Crime team.
We are protecting lives by collaring certain bull elephants and creating virtual fences around the communities of Simalaha.
Colette Terblanche, Peace Parks' Combating Wildlife Crime Project Manager
Rangers in the right place, at the right time
The Smart Park system also transformed ranger communications. With a new digital radio network linked to EarthRanger, operations staff can monitor vehicles and patrols in real time, directing scouts to high-risk areas when elephants approach villages or when other incidents occur.
This isn’t just about new equipment. Before the system went live, workshops were held with all 10 villages so that people could share their experiences of human-wildlife conflict and help shape practical solutions. At the same time, community scouts and conservancy staff have received hands-on training in using EarthRanger, radios and patrol monitoring tools, building local skills to match the new technology.
A foundation for coexistence
To date, 19 bull elephants have been collared, their routes mapped and their behaviour monitored. Camera traps, radios and mobile phones all feed data into the operations room, helping staff build a fuller picture of the landscape. The technology is far from foolproof – more collars and traps are still needed – but it has already created a strong basis for safer coexistence.
You can’t avoid conflict between people and wild animals completely, but you can find ways to lessen it. Catherine Mathatha, Simalaha’s Conservation and Agriculture Co-ordinator
“You can’t completely avoid conflict between people and wild animals,” says Catherine Mathatha, Simalaha’s Conservation and Agriculture Co-ordinator, “but you can find ways to lessen it.”
Learning by doing
Each incident, whether with elephants, lions or hippos, adds to the knowledge bank. Communities, scouts and conservation managers are adapting together, testing what works and refining their approach. These lessons are feeding back into wider human-wildlife conflict planning across the conservancy and beyond.
The Smart Park, made possible with support from the German Postcode Lottery, shows how traditional know-how combined with modern tools is giving communities new confidence. It is not the end of conflict, but it is a powerful step towards people and elephants sharing safe paths.
Donor impact: Building a Smart Park from the ground up
With generous support from the German Postcode Lottery and partners, Simalaha’s Smart Park system was equipped and activated through:
- Three 36-metre masts to support a digital radio network covering the entire conservancy.
- Vehicle, boat and handheld radios, plus base stations at scout camps and the operations control room.
- LED display screens and computers for real-time monitoring.
- Solar power systems ensuring constant connectivity and energy independence.
- Reliable internet links including EarthRanger mobile for patrol reporting.
- Camera traps and GPS elephant collars for accurate wildlife monitoring.
- Village scout camps equipped with solar power and connectivity to stay linked to operations.
- Training and workshops with all 10 villages, ensuring communities understood the system, shared their experiences of human-wildlife conflict and co-created appropriate solutions.
- Capacity building for conservancy staff and community scouts, including hands-on training in using EarthRanger, radios and patrol monitoring tools.
This combination of infrastructure and skills transfer is what makes the Smart Park sustainable, giving Simalaha’s people the tools and knowledge to protect both their livelihoods and wildlife.
