Connected Conservation was founded in 2015. We work closely with local partners to understand their needs and conservation challenges. Creating a technical solution that combines platforms, data sources and devices to offer real-time solutions that give an early warning of where conservation issues occur so rangers can respond and mitigate threats.
Engineers are locally-based and have on-the-ground experience, local knowledge and expertise. We have scaled to help recover 30+ species, with 9 long-running projects across Kenya, South Africa and Zambia. Our projects are expanding into more areas this year.
rates surged during the pandemic, and local livelihoods remain devastated by the loss of tourism. In South Africa, every day a Rhino and Elephant are killed. Illegal wildlife poaching undermines the rule of law and incentivises crime.
is a threat to wildlife. Habitats must be maintained, yet only 15% of the world's land is protected. This must increase so that important ecosystems can sustain life on Earth.
events are increasing as the space for nature shrinks and the competition for resources rises. When elephants raid crops or carnivores prey on livestock, it can damage the local perception of wildlife and lead to wildlife and human deaths.
Connected Conservation was born out of a pilot project in South Africa. Cisco and Dimension Data brought together conservation and technology experts to create a first-of-its-kind, proactive Connected Conservation solution to stop the poaching of rhinos in a private game reserve next to the Kruger National Park.
The solution tracks the movement of people, giving an early warning of those with dubious intent so rangers can step in to prevent harm to the animals. Leaving wildlife undisturbed and keeping rangers safe. The long-running pilot was a success. Where technology helped field teams achieve a 96% reduction in poaching during 2017 and 2018, with new reductions this year.
In 2019, we launched Connected Conservation Foundation, a non-profit organisation registered in the UK and operating independently under a board of directors' governance. The Foundation focuses on:
expanding opportunities
strengthening ecosystem resilience
protecting biodiversity
and strong institutions
We connect people with technology, working on transferring innovation into lasting impacts for nature.
Bruce 'Doc' Watson, Executive Chairman and Founder, Connected Conservation Foundation