Park Boundary Monitoring Results in Decreased Poaching

Challenge:

Monitoring vast areas is extraordinarily difficult. Managers are challenged to keep track of wildlife as well as rangers to be sure that patrols are carrying out most efficient plans. But it can be difficult to follow all ranger activity, especially when rangers are far out in the field. Without the benefit of technology, teams are required to maintain paper based reports and sort them for record keeping back at headquarters. Reports can easily be lost or destroyed by natural conditions in the field, leading to gaps in data and an incomplete picture of activity in the protected area.

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Resolution:

Grumeti used ER’s heatmaps to analyze the patterns of some of their rangers, and identified one ranger who was spending an odd amount of time in an area he wasn’t supposed to be in. Further investigation found that the area was a hangout for poachers, and the ranger was working with them. The ranger been discharged and is now being prosecuted for related activity.

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Impact:

With the help of EarthRanger, Grumeti is able to maintain reports in a more organized way, ensuring that planning is based on the most complete set of data available. EarthRanger helps the team better monitor park boundaries and has contributed to declines in poaching activity in the park.

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