Conflict between humans and Zimbabwe's 100,000 elephants is growing. Could this new tech help?

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🗞️ Driving the news: Zimbabwe is deploying GPS-based technology to mitigate growing human-elephant conflict as droughts and habitat loss push wildlife into populated areas
• A system launched by the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and the International Fund for Animal Welfare tracks elephants via collars, issuing real-time alerts to communities
• The project is already enabling quicker responses, reducing damage and injuries

🔭 The context: Zimbabwe hosts an estimated 100,000 elephants — more than twice the country’s ecological carrying capacity
• The last cull occurred nearly 40 years ago, constrained by conservation pressure and costs. As climate change intensifies, elephants increasingly raid villages for food and water
• From January to April this year, 18 people were killed and 158 wild animals culled in response to conflicts involving elephants, lions, and hyenas

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Human-wildlife conflict poses a critical challenge to biodiversity conservation
• Technological solutions like GPS tracking offer scalable, non-lethal methods to coexist with large fauna under climate stress
• Zimbabwe’s approach may serve as a model for other regions facing similar pressures — though questions remain about long-term sustainability and funding in regions with limited infrastructure and resources

⏭️ What's next: Currently, only 16 elephants are collared — insufficient for effective coverage given Hwange National Park’s 45,000-elephant population
• Authorities aim to scale the system, improve local benefit-sharing from conservation revenues, and consider controversial measures like raising trophy hunting quotas
• As tensions rise, communities are calling for faster and more equitable interventions
• A decision on expanding the project or adjusting policy could emerge in coming months

💬 One quote: “Why aren’t you culling them so that we benefit? We have too many elephants anyway,” asked Senzeni Sibanda, a farmer and local councillor affected by repeated raids

📈 One stat: Zimbabwe’s elephant population stands at approximately 100,000, despite a national capacity for just 45,000

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