African People & Wildlife Honored with IUCN Tech4Nature Award

African People & Wildlife has been recognized with the IUCN Tech4Nature Award in the NatureTech Stewards category for its innovative, community-led conservation efforts in northern Tanzania.

Presented at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, the award recognizes organizations that use digital technology to strengthen biodiversity protection and support local livelihoods. Through the Tech4Nature partnership, an initiative of IUCN and Huawei, the program highlights how technology can help achieve the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s goal to protect 30 percent of the planet by 2030.

The Sustainable Rangelands Initiative earned this recognition for combining modern geospatial tools with Indigenous knowledge to help pastoralist communities manage and restore their grazing lands. Habitat monitors use Esri mobile applications to track pasture health and share data with village leaders at Conservation Technology Centers, guiding decisions on grazing, land recovery, and the balance between people, livestock, and wildlife.

To date, participating communities have restored more than 20,000 acres of degraded land and improved management across 800,000 acres in over 50 villages. Their data also inform district and regional planning, ensuring that community priorities are reflected in broader conservation strategies.

This progress has been made possible through the generous support of Esri, whose software and licenses form the foundation of APW’s data systems. The initiative has also benefited from the partnership and contributions of the WWF Land for Life Project, Trias, the Darwin Biodiversity Challenges Fund via The Nature Conservancy, the Wildlife Conservation Network’s Lion Recovery Fund, IUCN–SOS, and USAID.

Winning the Tech4Nature Award reflects one of our guiding principles: meaningful conservation grows from local leadership. The recognition honors the knowledge and commitment of Tanzania’s rural communities and their essential role in creating a future where people and wildlife can thrive together.

Neovitus Sianga, Director of Community Conservation and Environment, accepted the award in Abu Dhabi, saying:

“This Tech4Nature Award belongs first to the communities who walk these lands every day, and to the dedicated monitors whose careful work makes this data real. On behalf of Tanzania People & Wildlife, our partners, and our country, I thank IUCN, PANORAMA, Huawei, and the jury for honoring this example of science, technology, and tradition working together for a sustainable future."

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IUCN announcement
Huawei announcement
‍PANORAMA solution: Empowering Community Action for Resilient Grasslands