Elephants Being Monitored in Tanzania National Parks with GPS Tracking

1 Dec 2015

To find the best options to save Tanzania elephants, a special program was launched by the Tanzania National Parks. This program monitors the movements of elephants in Ruaha National Park and is supported by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Working together with the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the UNDP is helping to fund this program in order to support elephant monitoring in Rungwa Game Reserve and Ruaha National Park. This monitoring is being done through the use of a satellite system.

Mr. Allan Kijazi, Director General of Tanzania National Parks, said the main objective of monitoring the movements of elephants through satellite is to gather up information on the elephants seasonal movements in the Great Ruaha landscape.

In order to monitor the elephants’ activity patterns and regional and local movements, the World Elephant Centre was contracted by the UNDP to tag 30 elephants with GPS tracking collar units.

Each unit will come with a mortality sensor built right in to inform researchers if a fitted elephant is killed. The 30 GPS units will be spread evenly around core areas, game reserves, and wildlife management areas around the Ruaha ecosystem.

Information gathered around the elephants seasonal movement patterns will help rangers come up with more informed patrols outside the main protected area.

Under a participative initiative and community conservation, MBOMIPA a local community wildlife conservation program, was formed that involves 19 villages of neighbors to Ruaha Park. This is the leading community wildlife program in Tanzania whose goal is to manage a sustainable and effective wildlife management system under the authority of the community.

MBOMIPA is devoted to promoting sustainable management of all cultural and natural resources to contribute to the decrease in poverty and enhance local economic development in the villages where it operates.

According to the UNDP, this natural, sustainable and community-based resource management is vital to the overall solution to illegal wildlife trade, elephant poaching and poverty reduction methods.

The Global Environmental Facility and UNDP conservation project called SPANEST has also been created which focuses on conserving the landscape and wildlife of Tanzania’s Southern circuit which includes protected areas in Kitulo, Mount Rungwe, Ruaha and Mpanga-Kipengere.

With the support of the UNDP, a census that was conducted through the project showed an evident decline in the population of elephants in the Ruaha-Rungwa ecosystem, which fell from 31,625 elephants back in 2009 to 20,090 in the year 2013.

UNDP is dedicated to supporting the drive against wildlife trade by offering help to Tanzania in the rule of law, governance, environment protection, and poverty eradication support to governments as well as other partners.

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George Karonis is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of LiveViewGPS Inc., a company he established in 2008 with the vision of making real-time GPS tracking more reliable, affordable, and accessible for businesses of all sizes. Over the past two decades, he has built a reputation as an innovator in GPS tracking, fleet management, asset monitoring, and Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PTToC) communications. Under George's leadership, LiveViewGPS has grown into a nationally recognized provider of GPS tracking solutions, serving businesses, government agencies, educational institutions, law enforcement organizations, and public works departments throughout the United States. The company's technology helps organizations improve operational efficiency, protect valuable assets, increase driver safety, and reduce operating costs through real-time location intelligence. Before founding LiveViewGPS, George developed a background in security, surveillance, and emerging location technologies. His passion for innovation and practical problem solving has driven the development of products that combine dependable hardware with easy-to-use cloud software, giving customers actionable information when it matters most. In 2018, George expanded into nationwide Push-to-Talk over Cellular communications by launching PeakPTT, providing businesses with rugged, instant communication solutions that operate over LTE and Wi-Fi networks. His focus has remained the same throughout his career: delivering dependable technology backed by exceptional customer service and long-term customer relationships. George regularly writes about GPS tracking, fleet management, asset protection, business technology, and communication systems. Through this blog, he shares industry insights, practical advice, and emerging trends to help organizations make informed decisions about tracking technology and connected operations.