Albanu Wildlife Foundation
Mission
We are proud to introduce the Albanu Wildlife Foundation, the result of the perseverance and passion that drive our team. Faced with the ecological urgency threatening our planet, we decided to rise up and take action. Refusing to resign ourselves to the decline of African elephant populations, we took initiatives in 2019, ultimately leading to the establishment of our Foundation in 2020.
Our mission is clear: to raise awareness and take action to safeguard these majestic creatures and their environment, both facing immense challenges such as poaching, habitat loss, water scarcity, and climate change.
Through a particularly innovative approach, we utilize state-of-the-art technologies at AWF – from GPS trackers to drones – to monitor and protect elephants and rhinoceroses, both up close and from afar. Our strong partnerships with renowned entities such as Microsoft, Adobe, and SSI/Inmarsat enhance our capacity to effectively defend wildlife and flora.
These joint and consistent efforts demonstrate a deep commitment, not only to elephants and rhinoceroses but also to the entire biodiversity of Africa. They illustrate our belief that concrete actions can change the fate of these species for a better future.
Every initiative we undertake at AWF is guided by our faith in the power of community and international cooperation to address environmental challenges. It is this combination of passion, innovation, and collaboration that fuels hope for the restoration of ecosystems and the prosperity of elephants in their natural habitat, inspiring everyone to contribute to this noble cause.
We invite you to join us. Together, let’s build a future where Africa’s wildlife and flora can thrive in harmony with our world.
Beyond the extraordinary symbolism of the African elephant, it is the deep concern raised by the threat of the disappearance of this majestic creature, whose survival is crucial for a fragile ecosystem, which reinforced the determination of the Albanu Wildlife Foundation, even pushing her to redouble her efforts. What began as an initiative to save and facilitate the adaptation of African pachyderms to a way of life in harmony with surrounding species, including humanity, has evolved into a larger mission, including the protection of all endangered species on the African continent. The Foundation is thus committed to safeguarding African biodiversity as a whole.
African elephant population
About 90% of African elephants have been wiped out in the last century – largely because of the ivory trade – leaving about 415,000 wild elephants alive today.
Gentle Giants
The African elephant is the largest terrestrial mammal in the world – males measuring on average up to 3 m high and weighing up to 6 tonnes.
Poaching
An estimated 20,000 to 30,000 elephants are poached each year. This prevents the species from renewing itself normally, and populations drop drastically.
New tracking technology for conservation
The Albanu Wildlife Foundation is committed to developing a revolutionary new technology that aims to simplify the daily monitoring of elephants and rhinoceroses by anti-poaching units and researchers dedicated to studying endangered species.
After extensive consultations with organizations on the ground, it became clear that a technological revolution in the field of monitoring was essential. Currently, the tracking collars in use are costly, bulky, and lack adequate lifespan, necessitating a rethinking of the entire tracking system.
In our quest for innovation, we first explored the idea of creating small tracking devices to be attached to the tails of elephants. Although our initial attempts showed promising results, they did not fully meet our expectations. We had succeeded in reducing the weight from 22 kg to 750 g, but the lifespan remained unchanged. It was at this point that we decided to start from scratch, focusing on the development of kinetic trackers.
Our new tracker design, utilizing this innovative technology, ensures secure monitoring of these magnificent animals through the use of the Lora WAN system, while extending their lifespan through the energy generated by the animals’ movements. In partnership with Silotron, we have developed a unique and entirely secure tracking system that will revolutionize how we protect and study these beautiful creatures and their environment.
This innovative solution connects to a fixed or mobile terminal, facilitating the exchange of secure information and traceability among various IoT devices, drones, and gateways deployed in the monitored areas.
These terminals ensure technological interoperability and coordinate preventive and intervention actions in the field. The centralization of security devices in a reserve is ensured by a supervision system via a local or cloud-based control tower, strategically positioned to manage the various elements of the solution, including IoT trackers, drones, vehicles, and more.
This approach optimizes control operations, prioritizing prevention to ensure the safety of people and the protection of endangered species.
Using technology to prevent poaching
The innovative concept of the AWF centers around the use of cutting-edge technologies to actively combat poaching, with a particular focus on protecting elephants and rhinoceroses, severely endangered species.
Animals respond in distinct ways to various situations, and by studying behavioral patterns using artificial intelligence, it’s possible to recognize unique behavior patterns. In the natural environment, animals react to predators, other species, and even differently to vehicles passing through their habitat, whether they are park observation vehicles or private vehicles. They also exhibit varying reactions to humans moving within the reserve.
Anticipating poaching activities in the bush is crucial, and animal behaviors can serve as an early warning system.
Here is our method:
1. Tagging various animal species with low-frequency trackers equipped with micro-kinetic chargers to maintain battery charge during animal movements, reducing the need for frequent retagging.
2. Utilizing strategically positioned LoRaWAN gateways to monitor animal movements day and night.
3. In the establishment phase, monitoring animal behavior and movements using drones to aid AI programming. Scenarios involving human presence in the park during the day and night are recorded to better understand animal behavior.
4. Creating a digital twin park through AI algorithms, providing access to historical data and animal movements.
5. Detecting human activities or poaching triggers alarms, followed by drone intervention to confirm the alarm’s validity. The drone is equipped with human detection and facial recognition capabilities to track poachers and assist anti-poaching units in apprehending them.
6. LoRaWAN gateways and trackers also allow for comprehensive park management, including monitoring water points, pumps, soil pH, and tracking all park assets, including staff and vehicles.
7. Temporary magnetic detectors can be placed on visitor vehicles to track their movements, creating a technologically-driven AI park management system.
This innovative approach revolutionizes how we protect endangered wildlife and offers a state-of-the-art park management system. It demonstrates the Albanu Wildlife Foundation’s commitment to using technology to safeguard our planet’s precious wildlife.