The Silicon Savannah

In the Maasai Mara, a technological revolution is unfolding within conservation, redefining the way we assess and manage data.

Technological innovation is changing the face of wildlife and landscape protection across Kenya and Tanzania. Advances in tools like machine learning, acoustic sensors, and satellite remote sensing are revolutionising our understanding and protection of vast wilderness areas. They both enhance data collection and accelerate its analysis, offering deeper insights into ecological dynamics.

At the forefront of this transformation is the Mara Elephant Project (MEP). Established in 2011, MEP operates in the Greater Mara Ecosystem, a partnership that includes the Government of Kenya, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI), and various community conservancies. Their mission is to employ cutting-edge technology for more effective elephant conservation and habitat protection. MEP’s journey from traditional conservation methods to embracing modern technology exemplifies a broader shift in safeguarding Africa’s wildlife.

“Technology is pivotal in conservation, especially in its capacity to gather and interpret data about wildlife, habitats, and the social dynamics within these environments,” notes Dr Jake Wells, Director of Research and Conservation at MEP. “Data-driven methods are transforming how we address conservation challenges, enhancing both our understanding and operational efficiency,” he adds.

MEP harnesses Geographic Information System (GIS) technology through a software platform called EarthRanger. This tool enables the team to track elephant movement, monitor habitats, and understand the nuances of human-elephant coexistence. EarthRanger consolidates diverse data streams into a comprehensive overview, generating a wealth of information for analysis.

To effectively process this data, MEP has developed EcoScope, an open-source analysis module for EarthRanger. EcoScope significantly streamlines the analysis of ecological data, facilitating quick generation of reports and insights that were previously unattainable without extensive manual effort. Wilson Sairowua, MEP’s Conservation Manager and a native of the Maasai Mara, oversees the tracking of collared elephants and the management of this data. “The technology empowers us to monitor our field operations more accurately, ensuring both the protection of wildlife and the efficiency of our teams,” Wilson explains.

“We can then evaluate and analyse that information and use it to protect both the wildlife and the people within the Greater Mara Ecosystem. This data-driven conservation allows us to use science to inform actions on the ground in a meaningful and more efficient way.”

The application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is currently stirring global debate, with significant implications for conservation research. AI accelerates data analysis and reveals patterns beyond human detection, proving indispensable real-time wildlife protection. Its ability to rapidly process vast datasets is pivotal in conservation, where timely responses to threats like poaching, habitat loss, or human encroachment are critical.

MEP’s innovative use of AI includes employing geo-fences to mitigate human-wildlife conflict. These virtual boundaries, set around farmlands and communities, trigger alerts when collared elephants breach them, enabling prompt on-ground intervention to guide the elephants back to safety.

Another notable initiative is ElephantBook, MEP’s in-house developed software that utilises machine learning to identify individual elephants. By analysing unique features such as tusk size and ear shape, ElephantBook enhances monitoring efficiency and enriches data crucial for understanding elephant populations. The MEP team has successfully identified 1,500 out of the 2,600 elephants in the greater Mara area using this technology.

Wilson underscores their approach: “Our team, comprising of young researchers, conducts daily fieldwork, photographing elephants and noting distinctive features. We aim to create a unique identification system for each Mara elephant, accessible to conservationists and NGOs alike, democratising the data for broader use.”

The MEP isn’t the only organisation to be embracing new technological advances. Beyond the visible spectrum, acoustic sensors strategically placed across the landscapes of Kenya and Tanzania offer a fresh way to study biodiversity.

Capturing the symphony of nature, from the chorus of frogs as night falls, to the roars of distant lions, sophisticated algorithms sift through this auditory treasure trove, identifying not only the presence of key species but also their behavioural nuances. For example, the distinctive call-and-response communication of elephants can be unravelled.

In Nyerere National Park, the Six Rivers Foundation are deploying acoustic receivers as part of a significant new biodiversity study. Brandon Kemp, one of the founders at Six Rivers Africa explains how this helps advance their studies. “Wildlife, such as frogs and bats, are generally not caught on camera traps so it has been hard to accurately study them. We are able to use acoustic recording to create a more comprehensive view of biodiversity than is otherwise possible in any other way.”

Satellite remote sensing, a tool that once only operated in the realms of space exploration, has found a new calling in the service of conservation. Satellites orbiting high above the African continent provide a bird’s-eye view of the ever-changing landscapes. Conservationists leverage this technology to monitor deforestation, habitat degradation, and even track the movements of wildlife across vast expanses.

In the context of Kenya and Tanzania, where ecosystems are delicately balanced, satellite remote sensing becomes a vital tool in identifying areas under stress and formulating targeted conservation strategies to solve the issues.

“The proliferation of tracking devices, cameras, sensors, and remote sensing imagery gives us an unparalleled amount of data to study and analyse. A big challenge is now in the analysis and our ability to answer meaningful questions, and quickly, from this data,” said MEP’s Dr Jake Wells. “We need to develop newer analytical tools, data platforms, and services that are designed specifically to be used for conservation, an area which has typically trailed behind other industries in driving the development and adoption of technology.

“Specifically, I think development of a data analysis pipeline, designed to process aerial images from drone surveys using machine-learning models is the next key investment in conservation technology. This will enable us to analyse hyper-spectral imagery and build our understanding of wildlife habitat,” he concluded. With new technologies still emerging, embracing their power will be integral to shaping the future of our threatened ecosystems and protecting both the wildlife and people who live in them.