Small tech difference makes a big human impact

Cisco’s conservation initiatives

Africa has been the inspiration for many Cisco initiatives. Sarah Eccleston, managing director and global chief technology office for commercial and small business at Cisco, spends much of her spare time on the continent, looking for ways to combine her love for both technology and endangered animals.

Two years ago, she spent a month living in an elephant orphanage in Zambia, and came up with the idea of connecting an elephant to the internet as part of an initiative to reduce ivory poaching. While that may have been a startling idea, it built on a conservation heritage at Cisco. 

In 2015, it partnered with one of South Africa’s most respected information technology companies, Dimension Data, to help protect and stop the poaching of rhino.  They launched Connected Conservation, starting with a pilot in a private game reserve next to the Kruger National Park.

The solution required installation of an advanced form of Wi-Fi, CCTV cameras, acoustic fibre surveillance, and electric fencing around the area. The impact was dramatic: in just one year, the number of rhinos poached from that reserve fell from 54 to zero. 

The team then worked with a South African non-profit at the Ezemvelo Nature Reserve, where they attached sensors to rhinos to measure heart rate and blood pressure – which can show signals of distress. This helps rangers identify possible poaching incidents without having to incur the high costs of monitoring an entire reserve.

“This, of course, is just the beginning,” says Maria Hernandez, a Cisco product sales specialist. “South Africa is just one country blighted by poaching, and we’re working on and planning several other conservation projects around the world. In Zambia, we’re using a boat tracking solution equipped with thermal cameras to monitor human movement to better protect the nation’s elephants.

“But there is still so much we can do, and we plan to continue to grow Connected Conservation through thoughtful partnerships which make a real difference. With the right tools, willpower and teamwork, we can help build a better future for these beautiful animals.”

Conservation of animals and sustainability of the human race go hand in hand, Chintan Patel pointed out.

“We have a big opportunity for technology to play a much bigger role in a much more sustainable future. We’re putting the building blocks in place now for what we believe the Internet and the future will need. We look forward to the bigger impact it will create.” 

• Arthur Goldstuck is founder of World Wide Worx and editor-in-chief of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram on @art2gee

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