Technology has proved a useful tool in combating poaching in South Africa in the past and now a new initiative, driven in part by Vodacom, will help rangers in the Addo Elephant Park to track and protect the behemoths that call the park their home.
The Command and Control Collaborator, or Cmore for short, was developed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and is described as “a software application ecosystem which includes a web-based application (portal) and associated mobile applications for use in the Command and Control domain”.
In layman’s terms, the app helps rangers to track other rangers, sightings, poaching incidents, and carcass locations in order to quickly deploy more rangers, should there be suspicion of poaching and other incidents in the park.
Speaking to Sunday World, Addo Elephant Park conservation manager John Adendorff explained that the new mobile technology would assist rangers in the field.
“Ranger teams need the ability to detect events, follow forces in the field, collaborate and receive rapid feedback … If needed, additional forces can be deployed immediately, effectively and precisely through GPS coordinates,” said Adendorff.
The devices used as a part of the Cmore project will be provided by Celcom and Vodacom. Vodacom has expressed its commitment to curb poaching in the country, which, according to the Department of Environmental Affairs, amounted to 769 rhino poaching incidents and the poaching of 71 elephants in the Kruger National Park last year.
Travis Goate of Vodacom told Sunday World that the company was “deeply committed to the protection of the planet and have built our sustainable business strategy on the premise that the success of our business is closely linked to thriving communities and healthy natural environments”.
Check out the video below to see how Cmore will work.