Elephant Highway
Elephants travel along waterways like this one to move through hillsides filled with farms.
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Greater Serengeti
WHERE WE WORK
Within the Greater Serengeti Ecosystem, the Ngorongoro region is made up of rich environments ranging from grasslands to forests. Fertile soils attract growing numbers of farmers along the edges – making the landscape a hotspot of biodiversity and human-wildlife conflict.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to incredible mammal diversity, including lions, wildebeests, and a significant population of African elephants. Our work here focuses on building the capacity of communities and authorities outside the park to promote coexistence with wildlife in balance with local livelihoods, particularly with elephants as they move across the invisible boundaries between the park and local croplands.
Data collected in 2023 reveals emerging seasonal conflict trends, notably a significant decrease in crop raiding during the dry season due to fewer crops in fields. Raiding incidents spike at harvest end, when heightened severity and property damage likely stem from reduced natural forage and increased elephant desperation for food. These insights guided conflict mitigation strategies used throughout 2024, such as reinforcing protection around fences and food stores in the post-harvest time period.
Working together, we can urgently address human-elephant conflict in and around the Ngorongoro Conservation Area to safeguard both the survival of these magnificent animals and improve the livelihoods of local communities.
Donatus Gadiye, NCAA Elephant Monitoring Coordinator
On the Ground in the Greater Serengeti
Taking on an Elephant-Sized Challenge
Elephant populations in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) have fluctuated over the years during poaching outbreaks. While conservation efforts have been successful, new threats are creating tensions in the villages that surround protected lands. Now, in addition to poaching, elephant habitat is threatened by human settlements and farming activities, competition for grazing and water resources, and growing demands for tourist infrastructure.
To ensure a sustainable future for the NCA, it is vital to promote coexistence between people and elephants. Our team is on the ground working within local communities in partnership with traditional leaders, district officials, and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA).
Promoting Wildlife Coexistence in Communities
Our Warriors for Wildlife (W4W) program expanded to the Ngorongoro landscape in 2023. These locally-based human-elephant coexistence officers are trained in effective conflict interventions and equipped with state-of-the-art technology that allows for mobile data collection of elephant movements and conflicts.
In 2023, Officers responded to conflict reports across 30,000+ acres of community lands bordering the park, covering a 12-mile stretch along the park boundary. These conflicts, primarily occurring at night, involve elephants and buffalo raiding essential crops such as corn, beans, coffee, and sunflowers. To mitigate these issues, farmers use traditional methods like noisemakers and farm guards while testing novel solutions like beehives and chili smoke bricks made with elephant dung.
Solving Conflict With People and the Power of Technology
In 2024, our focus was on deploying and evaluating different conflict mitigation tools while establishing a local Conservation Technology Center. The Center reflects our broader collaboration with the region, including training park rangers in our ACTIVE™ community engagement approach and integrating the existing conflict monitoring program with APW’s platform. With your support, these efforts are a significant step forward in finding a balance for people and wildlife in the Greater Serengeti ecosystem.
Take a Deep Dive into Elephant Conservation
Discover how communities in the Greater Serengeti region are leading efforts in elephant conservation and fostering human-elephant coexistence through innovative solutions and collaboration. Visit our story map to interact with the data, see maps, and meet local champions leading the charge.
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