Nokia Siemens Networks

Hello? When elephants call

ICT is helping humans and elephants co-exist in one of the wildest parts of Africa.

Elephants are majestic, in some places even venerated. But loss of habitat is forcing many of these great creatures into dangerous meetings with farmers and villagers, and this has led to loss of livelihood, injury and even death when elephants wander onto farms, eating and damaging crops.

Given this tense situation, elephant conservation programs across the world have suffered major setbacks. But now, in the Laikipia region of Kenya, GSM technology is being employed in a unique new pilot project to keep elephants away from farms and people.

A local solution to a worldwide problem

The project aims to ensure long-term success by partnering with existing community-led conservation projects and local service provider, Safaricom.

It also aims to produce a solution that the conservation groups can re-utilize elsewhere, and which can be rolled out commercially by Safaricom across Kenya.

The project is being supported by the GSMA Development Fund, which may also deploy the model in other projects around the world.

Keeping park rangers in constant touch with the public

Push to Talk (PTT) has been built into the pre-existing network to be used as a rapid warning system to coordinate the efforts of rapid response rangers.

Rangers use PTT handsets to contact one another, joining forces to deter elephants before they can destroy farmland.

Smallholders are also equipped with PTT handsets, enabling them to call out the ranger team to help redirect elephants away from their crops. The rangers currently use radios, which are not available to the community at large.

Safaricom’s conservation initiative shows that the mobile can reach beyond games and entertainment - it can have a truly beneficial effect in the real world, helping people to live in harmony with their (ever-changing) environment.