Karibu to the WILDLABS East Africa Community!
Why WE Exist
After 7 years of strategically building the global WILDLABS community, it was now time for our team to venture into the next phase of our programme: creating regional virtual hubs. The very first regional hub to go live is the East Africa community, a space that will create opportunities for members to build their knowledge, skills, expertise and reach. The idea behind creating the EA community spanned from the need to foster connections and collaborations of conservation and technology players in EA as well as make a true positive impact by tailoring resources and opportunities that will help solve conservation challenges in the region. Learn more
All we do at WILDLABS is firmly grounded on the community we serve and hope to serve! As part of this commitment, time and resources have been dedicated to ensure that this platform will be a reliable and credible resource to advance one’s knowledge, skills and be a step towards solving some of the most pressing conservation issues WE face in East Africa.
WE exist to fulfill the needs of conservation technology players in East Africa through resources & opportunities, to add value to their work, to inspire innovation & collaboration and most importantly, to contribute towards making the world a better place!
What WE Hope To Achieve
Purposefully designed to connect conservation technology practitioners and experts based in East Africa, the WILDLABS EA community will be a great space to access and share conservation technology resources, ask and answer questions unique to the landscape, collaborate and generate new and innovative ideas.
This platform is a great space for members to collaboratively fill in regional conservation tech knowledge and skills gaps present and share their work and other resources, reducing and/or eliminating replication and leading to more streamlined and effective solutions. Through the conversations taking place within the community, members will be able to connect with each other and get advice to advance their work, careers, and innovative ideas.
The community hopes to encourage level interactions that will generate new ideas on solving regional conservation tech challenges, encourage innovation, introduce members to new applications of tech in conservation, as well as spark new questions on Conservation tech in EA.
How To Get Involved
Are you keen on getting involved and understanding the intersection of conservation and technology in East Africa? This community offers an exceptional space where you can join us and get involved; to learn, share, collaborate and support one another on matters regarding conservation technology in East Africa. From posting articles, engaging in discussions, attending virtual and in-person events to supporting, applying or taking part in Programmes and opportunities in the community, these are some of the ways for you to get involved.
The first thing you can do when joining our community is to jump into our welcome thread and introduce yourself to our community. Get started here
Resources
The WILDLABS team is dedicated to making conservation tech resources accessible to the whole community in a strategic and equitable manner. With a myriad of engaging events, programmes, weekly conversations and opportunities lined up, the East Africa community will be a great virtual place to build one’s skills, knowledge, and networks. Growing a vibrant and diverse community will be made possible by the collaborative efforts of all members through their interactions and their active participation in regional activities organized/supported by WILDLABS.
Some of the resources that will give you a feel of Conservation technology tools and systems implemented in East Africa include:
- Using IoT and Machine Learning to Protect Kenya's Rivers.
- Learning Resource: Exploring Species Interactions with Snapshot Serengeti.
- Mobile Phone Reporting for Rapid Wildlife Health Response in Uganda
Members of the East Africa community are invited to share their projects, organizations, experiences, failures, and ideas in their Conservation Tech work, to support the development of tools that will form part of the resources made available to other members.
Programmes
Women in Conservation Technology Programme
With a cohort of 15 talented and emerging female conservationists, our inaugural Women in Conservation Technology Programme, is the first of many Programmes organized for the community. WILDLABS, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, and Fauna & Flora International partnered to run this programme as the very first opportunity organized for the East Africa community.
This programme is designed for early career Kenyan women in conservation who are looking to explore emerging conservation technologies. In addition to in-person and virtual training on foundational skills and knowledge on conservation technologies to overcome conservation and wildlife challenges in Kenya, participants have an opportunity to network with a strong cohort of other women leaders in the field and gain professional development skills. Through this unique blend of training and networking, we hope to empower Kenyan women in conservation who are often underrepresented in the sector. It is an avenue to encourage the group to generate innovative ideas, novel solutions, and diverse perspectives that engender conservation success.
We received close to 200 outstanding applications for the Programme this year, and this reminded us of the collaborative conservation efforts, implemented through great projects running, exceptional conservation and technology organizations and visionary conservationists in East Africa. We hope to reach more conservation technologists to build their knowledge and skills through such trainings and capacity building Programmes.
'Women in Science are often underrepresented in Kenya. Intentionally creating this training Programme for Women in Conservation Technology goes a long way to show that well-thought out initiatives are currently being put in place to empower women in the field. This Programme will not only benefit me, but will be a motivation to upcoming Women in Conservation Technology.'~ Consolata Gathoni Gitau
With the knowledge and skills garnered from this programme, participants will be able to spread awareness of novel conservation technology solutions to their home organizations and empower other female conservationists. We believe that this Programme is a great strategic direction towards empowering early career female conservationists!
Events
From in-person and virtual events, this hub is a great place tailored for conservationists and technologists in East Africa to support each other in creating novel solutions to complex regional conservation challenges. The East Africa community will be part of already established virtual events such as Tech Tutors and Virtual meetups, where topics covered will answer questions related to conservation challenges unique to East Africa. The virtual events will bring together members and participants to learn new skills, get expert advice, ask questions, gain knowledge and foster existing knowledge and skills.
The East Africa community exists because of each of you, and we hope you are happy to join and use the platform for knowledge sharing, collaboration and networking. You can join the community and interact with other members here. To get in touch with Netty Cheruto, our WILDLABS East Africa Community Coordinator, email her at: [email protected].
Header Image: @Dylan Habil
Group curators
- @EstherGithinji
- | She/Her
WILDLABS
I am the WILDLABS East Africa Conservation Technology Coordinator
- 95 Resources
- 19 Discussions
- 3 Groups
- @CathyNj
- | She
Catherine Njore is a seasoned Cartographer with over 17yrs experience and specializing in children cartography. She recently designed a Cartography: Fun with Maps Program(CFMP); a program that assists children to learn how to draw, read and use maps effectively.
- 1 Resources
- 6 Discussions
- 5 Groups
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 1 Groups
- @cleo
- | She/Her
Southern African Wildlife College
I am ecologist working in African conservation areas who loves wildlife & wild landscapes. I increasingly recognize that conservation is about people, especially those living in & around protected areas. Finding ways to benefit marginalized people is my passion.
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 14 Groups
- @rachelpool
- | She/Her
Early-career researcher interested in marine conservation
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 4 Groups
- @matt_hron
- | He/Him
Wildlife Protection Solutions (WPS)
Product Manager at Wildlife Protection Solutions
- 0 Resources
- 7 Discussions
- 8 Groups
Movement Ecologist studying the where, why, and how animals move throughout our world. Current work is investigating the movement and energetics of large neotropical bats in a changing environment with ephemeral resources.
- 0 Resources
- 23 Discussions
- 22 Groups
- @TaliaSpeaker
- | She/her
WILDLABS & World Wide Fund for Nature/ World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
I'm the WILDLABS Research Specialist at WWF-US
- 11 Resources
- 53 Discussions
- 24 Groups
- @EstherGithinji
- | She/Her
WILDLABS
I am the WILDLABS East Africa Conservation Technology Coordinator
- 95 Resources
- 19 Discussions
- 3 Groups
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 4 Groups
- @KimLane
- | She/Her
Sustainability Manager for CERES Tag LTD. An animal health company; animal monitoring, conservation, & anti-poaching/ rural crime. Wildlife, livestock, equine & companion. #CeresTrace #CeresWild #CeresRanch #SalusPet
- 2 Resources
- 18 Discussions
- 22 Groups
- @snapshot_serengeti
- | she/her
Fauna & Flora
Conservation, Innovation, Education
- 7 Resources
- 21 Discussions
- 9 Groups
- @StephODonnell
- | She / Her
WILDLABS
I'm the Community Manager at WILDLABS
- 150 Resources
- 646 Discussions
- 30 Groups
Are you an emerging Tanzanian conservationist looking to leverage new technologies in your conservation practice and become part of an empowering network of female conservation leaders? Apply now for our Women in...
25 March 2024
As we launch the search for our third Women in Conservation Technology cohort, let’s take a moment to reflect on the highlights of our 2023 journey and shine a spotlight on the incredible women of our inaugural...
22 March 2024
Do you know anyone interested in this position? Let them know by sharing widely.
27 February 2024
The American Society for Mammalogist has multiple categories of funding to support early career conservationist doing research on mammals. Currently, the African Research Fellowship award is open. The awards is mostly...
12 February 2024
Applications for the Jamii Tech Program from the Twende Social Innovation Centre to Design for Socio-Economic Change in Tanzania are Now Open!
10 January 2024
As I sit down and reflect on my journey, I cannot help but express my hearty gratitude to the organizers of WICT Programme 2022.
31 December 2023
The Somali ostrich (Struthio molybdophanes) also known as the blue-necked ostrich, is a large, flightless and non-migratory bird native to the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti and Kenya). It was previously...
22 December 2023
Listen in on our interview with human-predator conflict expert, Gabi Fleury and gain a deeper understanding of the importance of holistic, ethical and community-led approaches to developing tech solutions for...
8 December 2023
Tap into our new and exciting community-focused conversation series! In this first season of InConversation, we're in East Africa with host Esther Githinji. Listen in as we chat one-on-one with your favourite...
8 December 2023
Pomp!! Color! glamour and jubilation filled the first ever wildlife scientific conference dubbed “Use of Wildlife Science for enhanced Biodiversity Conservation and improved Livelihoods” that took place at the Lake...
1 December 2023
With the support of Women in Conservation Technology (Kenya) and Arm, I had a chance to work with Kijabe Environment Volunteers in Kikuyu Escarpment Forest. This was an opportunity to channel my passion for the...
1 December 2023
Hello, My name is Rita Orahle, a Rhino Monitoring Officer from Loisaba Conservancy. In this article, I will give an update on research on the fence and key gained skills and support from the Women in Conservation...
1 December 2023
June 2024
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December 2023
Description | Activity | Replies | Groups | Updated |
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I am to present a conference paper this June in Bulgaria. Title of the paper is "Integrating geospatial techniques into learners'... |
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Climate Change, Community Base, East Africa Community, Conservation Tech Training and Education | 1 day ago | |
Hi Rokshana,Maybe you can try this product from India called ANIDERS - I think this product would help you a lot. This is their website - |
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Human-Wildlife Conflict, East Africa Community | 2 weeks 5 days ago | |
Hi, I have used a commercial company for drone work for my PhD and they were willing to give me a significant discount for research purposes. One thing to consider is that in SA a... |
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Drones, East Africa Community | 1 month 4 weeks ago | |
I dont have anything written up but I can tell what parts we used and how we tested.Its pretty straightforward, we used this M10 Enclosure Vent from Blue Robotics: Along with... |
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Build Your Own Data Logger Community, Acoustics, Camera Traps, Climate Change, East Africa Community, Marine Conservation, Open Source Solutions, Protected Area Management Tools | 2 months 1 week ago | |
Thank you for this! Will take a look. |
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Climate Change, Conservation Tech Training and Education, East Africa Community, Remote Sensing & GIS | 2 months 2 weeks ago | |
Hi folks! Happy 2024 and thanks in advance for your patience in case I over-used tags. If you’re using any form of natural language... |
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AI for Conservation, Citizen Science, Climate Change, Conservation Tech Training and Education, Data management and processing tools, Early Career, East Africa Community, Emerging Tech, Ending Wildlife Trafficking Online, Ethics of Conservation Tech, Human-Wildlife Conflict, Open Source Solutions, Software and Mobile Apps, Wildlife Crime, Women in Conservation Tech Programme (WiCT) | 2 months 2 weeks ago | |
Hi Zach,Our organization (SEE Turtles) has a campaign working on the illegal tortoiseshell trade around the world called Too Rare To Wear. We are going to be updating our Global... |
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Community Base, Conservation Dogs, Early Career, East Africa Community, Ending Wildlife Trafficking Online, Human-Wildlife Conflict, Wildlife Crime | 3 months 1 week ago | |
Digital Earth Africa are doing fantastic work to make Earth Observation data free and accessible, delivering decision-ready products to the... |
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East Africa Community, Remote Sensing & GIS | 5 months 3 weeks ago | |
Alina has been a longtime friend of WILDLABS, and has been incredibly generous about sharing her knowledge as a Tech Tutor, an expert... |
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East Africa Community, Protected Area Management Tools | 6 months 2 weeks ago | |
Am helping a conservation project use iNaturalist for their work in bio-diversity monitoring and also citizen science, STEM program with... |
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Community Base, Citizen Science, East Africa Community | 7 months ago | |
Lovely to hear from you Kylie :) Thanks so much for contributing your thoughts and ideas towards this. |
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East Africa Community | 7 months 1 week ago | |
Conservation Training Programs:Tropical Biology AssociationTraining conservation leaders and giving them the skills and support they need to be effective on the ground. TBA... |
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East Africa Community, Women in Conservation Tech Programme (WiCT) | 7 months 3 weeks ago |
Involve our young learners in climate change action.
27 March 2024 3:24pm
9ICCGIS 2024
Apply Now: Women in Conservation Technology Programme, Tanzania 2024
25 March 2024 11:10am
Empowering women, protecting nature: Insights from WiCT 2023
22 March 2024 7:59am
The Freshwater Sounds Archive
15 March 2024 10:32am
Introducing The Freshwater Sounds Archive, a global database of sounds produced by freshwater species.
Submit your species-specific or unidentified sounds to the archive now and receive recognition for your contribution in a forthcoming data paper as a co-author!
Lion Deterrence
29 February 2024 9:59pm
8 March 2024 2:52pm
Hi @rokshanabushra
So are you looking to replicate something like this?
https://predatorguard.com/products/predator-deterrent-light
This is, in principle at least, fairly simple, as it's really just some red LEDs and a small solar-battery power system. You could buy one of the commercial options and do a teardown (or I can do it if you like, as I'd be interested to find out exactly what they are doing).
In lieu of that, I suspect a light-dependent resistor is probably used to control the lights coming on at night (i.e. something along these lines: https://www.instructables.com/How-to-Make-LDR-Darkness-Sensor-Circuit-Simple-DIY/).
If you employ some sort of 'blink' or flashing protocol (you could use a 555 timer to keep the costs down), you could save quite a bit of power (compared to running the lights constantly). For example, something along these lines: https://www.instructables.com/Adjustable-SingleDual-LED-Flasher-Using-555-Timer-/ You could also add a PIR motion sensor so it only comes on when nearby motion is detected, but of course the costs of building goes up.
There are also a few off-the-shelf flasher designs that might be cheap enough already to consider (e.g. https://www.ledsales.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=142_143&products_id=2820). This seems like a reasonably good option for low power, although I have no idea how well it actually works...You can also buy LEDs that flash by themselves (e.g. https://www.ledsales.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=148_152_159&products_id=2951).
If you think sounds might also help (e.g. human noises etc.), check out the Boombox from Freaklabs: https://freaklabs.org/technology/boombox/ and it should be possible to add 'eyes' in the form of reflectors, or, some kind of LEDs that activate at the same time as the sound. You could contact Akiba or Jacinta about it as I am sure they'd help if they can: https://freaklabs.org/about/#:~:text=providers%20including%20ARGOS.-,the%20team,-Chris%20%E2%80%98Akiba%E2%80%99%20Wang
Anyway, happy to help if I can and all the best for the project.
Cheers,
Rob
8 March 2024 4:11pm
Hi Rokshana,
Maybe you can try this product from India called ANIDERS -
I think this product would help you a lot. This is their website -
A PHD POSITION AT NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY
27 February 2024 9:42am
Early career mammalogist funding Opportunity
12 February 2024 8:57pm
Southern African Wildlife Management Association Conference 2024
6 February 2024 12:20pm
Let's save our environment
31 January 2024 12:52pm
Remote Sensing and Research group at Dedan Kimathi University have come up with this ebook after a project observing the deterioration of part of the aberdare.
I always welcome efforts that involve young learners so that they benefit and participate. Thank you RSRG Team.
Reasonable price for drone pilot (south africa)?
27 January 2023 11:20am
16 January 2024 12:21pm
Hello Stephanie,
I am not sure if you are still monitoring this thread, but if you need any information, please let me know. I have flown drones for a couple of years in Zimbabwe and South Africa in conservation and anti-poaching operations. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Regarding the £500-700 range you mentioned, it seems waaaayyyy overpriced. Those rates are usually charged by lawyers and accountants in South Africa.
If you have found the information you were seeking, I wish you all the best.
Quin
26 January 2024 10:39pm
Hi Steph,
I think everyone below has summarised it pretty well.
A couple of comments to add.
Select your pilot well - We offer drone flying services. This wasn't our intention, initially, however we have determined that there are many drone pilots, but fewer who do it really well. Having said that, we work predominantly with animal tracking equipment, not just flying straight line vectors, if this is what you are undertaking.
In Australia, fees to become a pilot are about $5,000 AUD, and a reasonable commercial drone with changeable payload capability costs around $20,000- $30,000 AUD, and then as is suggested below, there are insurance and factoring in repairs and maintenance, and of course eventual replacement costs, travel, an hourly rate as wages etc. Obviously, the day rates you have listed aren't profit, they include cost.
Paul
Wildlife Drones
28 January 2024 4:59pm
Hi, I have used a commercial company for drone work for my PhD and they were willing to give me a significant discount for research purposes. One thing to consider is that in SA a drone pilot requires a pilots license and there is quite some red tape to go through which does make it much more complex than just going out and buying a drone oneself. The price you mention seems on the high side to me but I'm not sure if that already includes the drone, sensors, flight permissions, travel of the pilot to and from your location and any other costs.
1st Joint International Scientific Conference
23 January 2024 8:34am
Recycled & DIY Remote Monitoring Buoy
15 January 2024 1:14am
15 January 2024 9:17pm
Hello fellow Brett. Cool project. You mentioned a waterseal testing process. Is there documentation on that?
18 January 2024 10:25am
I dont have anything written up but I can tell what parts we used and how we tested.
Its pretty straightforward, we used this M10 Enclosure Vent from Blue Robotics:
Along with this nipple adapter:
Then you can use any cheap hand held break pump to connect to your enclosure. You can pump a small vacuum in and make sure the pressure holds.
Here's a tutorial video from blue robotics:
Let me know if you have any questions or if I can help out.
Africa Tech Summit London
15 January 2024 10:18am
Africa Climate Tech & Investment Summit
15 January 2024 10:10am
Information to the young who are the future
8 January 2024 4:35pm
12 January 2024 11:48am
Great work @CathyNj kindly check out the below opportunity. I reckon you may find it useful for your work.
"Join Planet Ed and The Nature Conservancy for the Planet Media Call for Pitches to Shape the Future of Climate Education for Kids!"
13 January 2024 4:08pm
Thank you for this! Will take a look.
Jamii Tech Program 2024, Tanzania
10 January 2024 11:12am
Presentation opportunity: Text analysis for conservation (NACCB 2024)
8 January 2024 4:05pm
WICT2022: Bridging Gaps, Shaping Women in Global Conservation.
31 December 2023 2:03pm
Foraging behavior of the Vulnerable Somali Ostrich in Northern Kenya
22 December 2023 9:05am
22 December 2023 11:17am
Master Project Collaboration/Ideas!
4 November 2023 10:37pm
4 November 2023 10:58pm
My email address: [email protected]
14 December 2023 9:35pm
Hi Zach,
Our organization (SEE Turtles) has a campaign working on the illegal tortoiseshell trade around the world called Too Rare To Wear. We are going to be updating our Global Tortoiseshell Report next year and one of the gaps we have in data is in China, where the illegal trade is now happening most frequently on platforms like WeChat.
We'd be interested in discussing with you if interested in how we might be able to gather some data on this trade in the country. I'm including a couple of links below about the program and the last report and will reach out by email.
-Brad
Data Viz Inspo for the Holidays
11 December 2023 8:42pm
Holistic, Ethical & Community-led Human-Wildlife Conflict Solutions with Gabriela Fleury
8 December 2023 1:38pm
InConversation: Season 1*New Episode*
8 December 2023 1:38pm
My Experience and Takeaways at the 1st WildlifeScientific Conference
1 December 2023 4:42pm
Conservation of Kikuyu Escarpment Forest
1 December 2023 12:38pm
Impacts of Rhino Fence on other Wildlife Species
1 December 2023 9:25am
PhD Position- Nottingham Trent University UK
1 December 2023 7:13am
Into the Underwater Savanna: BRUV Surveys In Seagrass Beds
30 November 2023 6:12pm
Conservation of endangered birds in Kenya
30 November 2023 12:57pm
21 December 2023 4:48am
21 December 2023 9:32am
4 March 2024 5:34am
I remember the study in EA when they painted cows with zebra strips to stop the Tsetse fly bites. Sometimes it is the simplest things that work