Project Summary
Countries: Tanzania
Delivery Partner: Sokoine University of Agriculture
Project Partners: Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority, Environmental Conserrvation for Wildllfe and Community Enterprise (ECOWICE)
Principal Investigator: Dr. Robert Byamungu, Sokoine University of Agriculture
Challenge
Selous-Niassa Wildlife Corridor, covering 10,000 km² between Tanzania and Mozambique, is a vital transboundary conservation area linking Selous Game Reserve and Niassa Reserve. It supports key species like elephants, lions, and wild dogs but faces growing threats from human-wildlife conflict, habitat degradation, and climate change impacts. Local communities lose over 350 acres of crops annually—amounting to $120,000 in economic losses— deepening poverty. Climate change worsens resource competition, while traditional conflict mitigation tools remain ineffective due to poor infrastructure and lack of real-time data.
This project introduces an innovative, off-grid, AI-powered early warning system integrating Indigenous ecological knowledge to reduce conflict and enhance climate resilience. A phased approach will establish 24 transects for baseline data collection and deploy 72 AI-enabled cameras with solar-powered deterrents. A decentralized mesh network will transmit data without relying on traditional infrastructure to trigger alerts on wildlife movement, fire risks, and weather. A custom offline mobile app will deliver timely alerts to communities, aiding in conflict prevention and enabling climatesmart agriculture.
Capacity building focuses on gender equality and inclusion, training women and marginalized groups as “Technology Champions” to promote local ownership. Expected outcomes include a 60% reduction in human-wildlife conflict, 50% drop in crop losses, improved economic opportunities, and enhanced biodiversity conservation. The project’s open-source tools and policy framework offer a scalable model for sustainable coexistence across Africa’s wildlife corridors.
Photo Credits: Images are of the Selous-Niassa landscape:
1. Land cleared for agriculture, Photographer: Felcian Ezekiel
2. Intact woodland habitat, Photographer: Felcian Ezekiel
3. A group photo of representatives from SUA and partner organisations involved in the GCBC-funded project, taken at SUA on 1 Jul 2026. The people in the photo are (back row, left to right): Eustace Abraham, Robert Byamungu, David Kaberege, Martha Moshi. Front row (left to right): Philipo Mtweve, Merci Ayo. Photographer is Philomena Magoti.
4. Road bisecting grassland habitat, Photographer: Felcian Ezekiel
More on the project will be added soon.
In the meantime, explore our Projects page to discover the diverse portfolio of initiatives GCBC is supporting around the world, and see where our research is making an impact.
