Fighting Wildlife Crime with Technology in Namibia

In 2012, the World Wildlife Fund received a $5 million Global Impact Award from Google.org to "harness technological innovation to stop conservation crime"-- in other words, to test out cutting-edge technologies in the fight against the multi-billion dollar illegal international wildlife trade. With the goal of ultimately impacting communities and regions throughout Asia and Africa, WWF chose to partner with Namibia's Ministry of Environment and Tourism in the pilot stage of the project due to its astoundingly environmentally progressive government and highly integrated communal conservancy land management system.

Technologies implemented include:

• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) making day and night surveillance flights over rhino and elephant protected areas
• Radio-frequency chip implantation in black rhinos allowing remote tracking
• Ground-based sensors monitoring climate and animal activity
• Spatial Monitoring and Report Tool (SMART), a easy-use catalogue of all data collected
• Affordable Animal/Patrol Tracking Prototypes attached to animals which work by connecting with the existing cellular network to send data. 
• Wireless camera trap network uploading photos of passing wildlife automatically to SMART

Falcon UAV, specifically designed for use in the rugged woodlands of Namibia.

The Namibian pilot project was very successful and has led WWF to expand its technologies into other countries-- today, they are working in Malawi, Zambia, and Kenya as well and have spun off several other projects.

- Madelyn

Sources:
https://www.worldwildlife.org/press-releases/wwf-tech-integration-helps-namibia-tackle-wildlife-crime
https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/an-eye-in-the-sky-for-boots-on-the-ground
https://www.worldwildlife.org/projects/wildlife-crime-technology-project