In Hwange, western Zimbabwe, a growing conflict between rural communities and elephants is intensifying under the weight of prolonged droughts and mounting environmental pressures. Yet, amid this friction, an innovative GPS-based elephant tracking system is emerging as a beacon of hope for both conservationists and communities living on the frontier of protected areas.
Launched in 2024, the initiative is a joint effort between the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). Central to the project is the use of GPS collars fitted onto elephants, predominantly herd matriarchs. These devices feed real-time data into the EarthRanger platform, enabling authorities to monitor elephant movements and respond swiftly to potential human-wildlife encounters.
For villagers like Capon Sibanda, a local volunteer trained as a “community guardian,” the technology has reshaped traditional approaches to wildlife mitigation. Previously reliant on rudimentary deterrents—banging pots, burning dung, or shouting—communities now receive early warnings through WhatsApp alerts and in-person communication for those without mobile access. Sibanda, who documents elephant movement and community responses using a smartphone, described the transformation as “phenomenal.”
Zimbabwe’s elephant population stands at approximately 100,000—nearly double the estimated carrying capacity of its habitats, according to Zimparks. The last culling occurred over three decades ago, halted largely due to international conservation pressure and high financial costs. Despite the cessation of culling, human fatalities and economic losses persist. Between January and April 2025 alone, 18 people were reportedly killed in wildlife encounters, prompting authorities to eliminate 158 problem animals.
The GPS tracking initiative is not limited to elephant movements. It also logs incidents of crop destruction, predator attacks, and retaliatory human violence against animals. The platform provides detailed spatial data that allows conservation managers to prioritise resources where tensions are highest. “We’re going to be able to see the interactions between wildlife and people,” said IFAW’s Field Operations Manager, Arnold Tshipa. “This allows us to give more resources to particular areas.”
The wider context is inescapably shaped by climate change. Increasingly erratic rainfall and frequent droughts have diminished both wildlife and human access to water and arable land. “Droughts are getting worse. The elephants devour the little that we harvest,” said Senzeni Sibanda, a local councillor and farmer, who tends a tomato plot that supports a nearby school feeding scheme. She laments recurring destruction of crops and infrastructure and advocates for stronger interventions, including an increase in the national hunting quota and greater local retention of hunting revenue.
Zimbabwe currently permits the legal hunting of up to 500 elephants annually. However, the distribution of proceeds to affected communities remains a contentious issue. Villages typically receive the equivalent of the value of a single elephant—between $10,000 and $80,000—for public works like water borehole repairs or fencing. Senzeni Sibanda and others argue that this compensation is insufficient given the scale of destruction they endure.
The debate over elephant population management has also garnered international attention. In 2024, both Zimbabwe and Namibia proposed using elephant meat to feed drought-affected communities, prompting protests from international animal rights groups. Botswana’s former president controversially offered to gift 20,000 elephants to Germany, while its wildlife minister mockingly suggested sending 10,000 to London’s Hyde Park to allow Britons to “have a taste of living alongside elephants.”
Against this backdrop, the collaring project may represent a viable middle path. Sixteen elephants in Hwange have thus far been fitted with collars, allowing rangers to track entire herds by following matriarchal movements. Yet Hwange alone harbours around 45,000 elephants, in a reserve that has ecological capacity for merely 15,000, highlighting the monumental scale of the challenge.
Collaring an elephant is a complex, tightly coordinated process. A herd is identified, a marksman fires a tranquiliser dart at a matriarch, and after tracking via drone or vehicle, a veterinary team fits the collar and collects blood samples for ecological studies. Armed rangers are stationed nearby to ensure safety throughout the operation. Once the collar is secured, an antidote is administered to revive the animal, which typically recovers within minutes.
“This is about ensuring conservation decisions are informed by robust scientific data,” said Edson Gandiwa, Director of Zimparks.
Although the collaring initiative alone cannot solve the human-elephant conflict, it is an example of how technology can augment traditional knowledge to create sustainable solutions. Community guardians like Capon Sibanda, equipped with mobile data and digital tools, are playing a vital role in this transformation—bridging the gap between conservation policy and grassroots action.
The future of coexistence in regions like Hwange may well depend on how effectively such data-driven interventions can be scaled, funded, and embraced by all stakeholders.
