GPS and Radio Collaring

Tracking collared elephants showing us where they want to go (from Elephants Alive's solution). Photo by Thorge Heuer

GPS and radio collars are widely used tracking technologies in wildlife research and conservation. By fitting animals with collars equipped with transmitters, scientists can monitor their movements, behaviour, and habitat use in real time or through periodic location data. Radio collars transmit signals that can be picked up using a receiver and antenna, while GPS collars use satellite systems to provide precise geographic coordinates, often relayed via satellite or cellular networks. These tools are invaluable for studying species ranging from large mammals to birds, offering insights into migration routes, home ranges, and interactions with human-dominated landscapes. Despite being invasive and requiring careful handling, GPS and radio collars have transformed species conservation by enabling data-driven management, targeted protection measures, and improved strategies to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts.

Targets & Actions

This technology can support the implementation of targets 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5

Target 1 - Plan and Manage all Areas To Reduce Biodiversity Loss

Ensure that all areas are under participatory integrated biodiversity inclusive spatial planning and/or effective management processes addressing land and sea use change, to bring the loss of areas of high biodiversity importance, including ecosystems of high ecological integrity, close to zero by 2030, while respecting the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities.

Target 2 - Restore 30% of all Degraded Ecosystems

Ensure that by 2030 at least 30 per cent of areas of degraded terrestrial, inland water, and coastal and marine ecosystems are under effective restoration, in order to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services, ecological integrity and connectivity.

Target 3 - Conserve 30% of Land, Waters and Seas

Ensure and enable that by 2030 at least 30 per cent of terrestrial, inland water, and of coastal and marine areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services, are effectively conserved and managed through ecologically representative, well-connected and equitably governed systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, recognizing indigenous and traditional territories, where applicable, and integrated into wider landscapes, seascapes and the ocean, while ensuring that any sustainable use, where appropriate in such areas, is fully consistent with conservation outcomes, recognizing and respecting the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, including over their traditional territories.

Target 4 - Halt Species Extinction, Protect Genetic Diversity, and Manage Human-Wildlife Conflicts

Ensure urgent management actions to halt human induced extinction of known threatened species and for the recovery and conservation of species, in particular threatened species, to significantly reduce extinction risk, as well as to maintain and restore the genetic diversity within and between populations of native, wild and domesticated species to maintain their adaptive potential, including through in situ and ex situ conservation and sustainable management practices, and effectively manage human-wildlife interactions to minimize human-wildlife conflict for coexistence.

Target 5 - Ensure Sustainable, Safe and Legal Harvesting and Trade of Wild Species

Ensure that the use, harvesting and trade of wild species is sustainable, safe and legal, preventing overexploitation, minimizing impacts on non-target species and ecosystems, and reducing the risk of pathogen spillover, applying the ecosystem approach, while respecting and protecting customary sustainable use by indigenous peoples and local communities.

Solutions and case studies

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A Phased Approach to Increase Human Tolerance in Elephant Corridors to promote ecosystem connectivity

Pathfinding elephants are moving through human-dominated landscapes, often across international boundaries. By doing so, they play a vital role in connecting Protected Areas (PAs) but also encounter Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) that threatens lives and livelihoods. Our solution proposes a long-term strategy to conserve elephant corridors whilst incorporating the socio-economic needs of the people that share the landscape with them. GPS tracking of elephants across two transfrontier conservation areas flags where linking corridors exist and thus where to focus resources. We use innovative cafeteria-style experiments to understand which elephant-unpalatable plants would offer lucrative alternative income streams to farmers living in those HEC hotspots. Lastly, we combine food security and people’s safety by deploying Rapid Response Units and soft barriers to protect subsistence crops. This phased strategy enables the protection of bioregions to achieve biodiversity objectives at landscape scale.

New methodology for vegetation habitat mapping and tool for analysing habitat utilization in GPS-collared species experiments

With a natural habitat map unchanged since 2003, the announce in 2015 of future GPS-collars availability for research teams to implement habitat utilization on Pyrenean chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra pyrenaica) and Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus aquitanicus) pointed out the need of its evaluation and update.

The first work of evaluation conducted in late 2015 concluded for an update experimenting a standardized methodology.

Fieldwork ran on two campaigns in spring-summer 2016 and 2017 producing data covering the third of the reserve expanse, the rest was interpreted through an equivalence relation between physical factors and habitat value to complete the map.

As the first equipped animals were captured and released during summer 2017, the map and its database were operational in winter 2017.

Integrated technology platform to support conservation – protecting wildlife and people

Ol Pejeta is home to the largest population of critically endangered black rhinos in E. Africa. Protecting them and other wildlife is a great responsibility and we utilize technology where it adds value. In 2019 we rolled out EarthRanger (ER), a software platform that collects protected area activity information (the animals and assets being protected, the rangers protecting them, and threats of potential poaching) into a single, integrated, real-time visualized operational platform. It amalgamates data from different sources including animal GPS tracking collars, ranger digital radio systems/vehicle trackers, and ranger recorded observations. ER allows us to see key information in one place, enabling informed and faster conservation-related operational decisions.

ER was developed in collaboration with Vulcan Inc. through our Conservation Tech Lab. The Lab acts as a field-based space for technologists and scientists to test and deploy solutions, but also as a center for collaboration, learning and sharing knowledge.

Mitigating Human-Wildlife Conflict in Namibia Through a Rapid Response Unit

Namibia is one of the few African countries in which six large carnivore species (lion, leopard, cheetah, African wild dog, spotted hyena and brown hyena) occur outside protected areas. With over 40% of Namibia’s land use consisting of commercial farming, human-wildlife conflicts are inevitable. N/a’an ku sê’s Rapid Response Unit works towards educating the local farming community about the behaviour of carnivores, it aims to increase the farmers’ tolerance towards predators on their lands. This awareness and education, combined with the RRU’s response to conflict calls and the advice and aid imparted, beneficially impacts the relationship between farmer and conservationist. Our approach has reduced indiscriminate killing of carnivores on farmers’ lands by 80%, proven ~90% of carnivores to be non-conflict animals, consulted 820 farmers across a total area of more than 1M hectares of farmland. Finally, more than 70 carnivores have been collared and monitored to establish scientific evidence for deeper conservation impact

Perovskite solar panels supporting life lasting animal telemetry

Telemetry collars with flexible perovskite solar panels are created to support the life-lasting monitoring of animals. Collars consist of injecting printed perovskite solar panels covered by transparent epoxide and combined with a GPS fixing chip and LoRa data transmitter. Two innovative collars were put on two European (male and female) bisons at Styr hunting enterprise. The GPS coordinates were saved in the EEPROM memory in the collar and transmitted through the LoRaWAN communication protocol to the cloud and created a database. The database provides data to Grafana open-source service, enabling flexible visualizations of forms from multiple data sources. As a result of this, online monitoring of wildlife is established without the need to change the batteries in telemetry collars worn on animals.

Securing Sustainable Lion Populations and their Connectivity through Promoting Coexistence with Communities in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Lions like any other big carnivores need large, connected areas to thrive, but in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, human-lion conflict—especially due to lion-livestock attacks—has prompted to retaliatory lion killings. To address this, KopeLion developed the Ilchokuti model which involve training and employing local pastoralist young warriors from Maasai and Tatoga pastoralist communities. These trained individuals monitor lions, warn herders of the presence of collared/non-collared lions, recover lost livestock, and respond to conflicts. By reducing threats to both lions and livestock, the Ilchokuti help foster coexistence and build community support for conservation. Their work has improved tolerance for lions, reduced lion killings, stopped traditional lion hunts and enabled safe movement for dispersing lions across village lands. As a result, lions are increasingly seen as a valued part of the landscape, and the Ilchokuti model is now a vital part of securing sustainable lion populations and connectivity in the area.

Soluciones para la coexistencia humanos-jaguares a través de mejoras en fincas ganaderas y uso de tecnología en comunidades colindantes al Bosque Protector Alto Darién

El proyecto es minimizar el conflicto humano-jaguar, realizando planes de manejo de fincas con medidas anti depredación, telemetría GPS para entender el comportamiento de jaguares y trabajamos con la comunidad. La mayoría de muertes de jaguar es por la depredación al ganado que no tiene un manejo adecuado. Apoyamos a productores a que potencien los beneficios en la finca. Los planes reorganizan la propiedad y los productores trabajan intensivamente, utilizando menos área de potrero, y estos con agua, pasto mejorado, áreas de cultivo, corrales nocturnos para vacas y terneros pasen la noche, todo esto propicia que las zonas de potreros se regeneren y se transforme en bosque. Las medidas que hemos utilizado son cercas eléctricas alimentada por un panel solar, collares con campanas para el ganado y con unas pequeñas luces a los lados del collar. Hemos colocado collares en jaguares para entender su movimiento en 14 fincas. La ganadería extensiva mal llevada a disminuido la biodiversidad en Panama.

Using monitoring data to create protected areas and wildlife corridors for saiga conservation

The Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative (Altyn Dala) project aims to establish a network of protected areas within the historic boundaries of the Betpak-Dala saiga population to effectively protect saiga, their endangered steppe and semi-desert habitat, and other flagship species including great bustards and sociable lapwing. Once completed, this network of protected areas is anticipated to cover 3 to 5 million hectares.

To gather data on saiga’s migrations and help inform the national authorities on the need to design and establish new protected areas and ecological corridors, the experts are relying on the information collected with the help of satellite collars – as it allows the experts to understand the long-term impacts of infrastructure developments on saiga movements and population recovery.

Cloncrow Bog Natural Heritage Area – restoring a degraded Irish midland raised bog

Ireland has ca. 1.46 Mha of peatlands. Today about 85% of all peatlands are degraded through conversion to agriculture and forestry, extraction and horticulture. The pilot site is part of a Natural Heritage Area. The site (33 ha) consists of drained high bog and cutover bog. It was impacted by 28,000 m of extensive ditching in the high bog and cutover as well as legacy effects of bog cutting. This scenario provided an opportunity for restoration works within NWE Interreg Care-Peat project. Restoration activities were successfully completed in October 2020. The existing drain network was blocked with earthen dams at a ratio of 1 dam for every 10 cm rise in elevation. It was completed by diggers and resulted in exposed areas of bare peat. It formed experimental areas for Sphagnum transfers. Monitoring of restoration success is ongoing with assessment of dam and bunding integrity. A total of 24 collars plots are sampled monthly. Overall the carbon stocks at the site are estimated at 42,074 Mg/ha.

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