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
- @Hassangollo2024
- | mr
social worker and Conservationist
- 0 Resources
- 1 Discussions
- 1 Groups
- @Jkavutha
- | Her/She
I am currently pursuing an MSc Conservation Biology at the University of Kent. My research interests are based around wildlife economies and how communities can be at the frontline to drive initiatives that promote sustainable livelihoods and safeguard wildlife habitats.
- 1 Resources
- 2 Discussions
- 5 Groups
Conservation technology enthusiast
- 0 Resources
- 3 Discussions
- 14 Groups
Naturalist
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 3 Groups
Project planet is working to mitigate conflict between farmers and forest elephants in Gabon, Central Africa.
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 3 Groups
Conservation Biologist; Research interest Human Dimensions on Wildlife Conservation and Conservation Tech
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 7 Groups
- @Benedicta
- | She
My name is Ninying Benedicta a PhD student under the Department of wildlife resource management in Cameroon. I love learning about wildlife and their habitats. I also love working with communities surrounding the forests, learning on Traditional Ecological Knowledge.
- 0 Resources
- 4 Discussions
- 4 Groups
I am conservation and sustainability researcher based in Tanzania with 15+ years of field work experience. I enjoy working, mentoring and engage youth in conservation efforts and using technology to enhance my work.
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 1 Groups
- @nicoboenisch
- | He / him / his
Co-Director FOS Europe, Conservation Strategist and Technical Advisor to the Miradi Software Team, Improving Conservation through Adaptive Management and Evidence-based Learning
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 8 Groups
I am a budding engineer doing Electrical and Telecommunications Engineering and I am passionate about innovation and technology and how I can use it to make an impact in society.
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 5 Groups
- @Brian_Gachiri
- | Him/His
Experienced Web and Mobile Application Developer with a passion for climate and environment conservation. I aim to have every keystroke a step toward a more sustainable and greener future. #TechForGood #EcoInnovation
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 1 Groups
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 3 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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October 2024
November 2023
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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 | 18 hours 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 |
1st Wildlife Scientific Conference 2023
25 September 2023 11:10am
Geospatial Data Scientist, Varaha
25 September 2023 9:58am
Chief Information and Technology Officer, Conservation International
14 September 2023 9:13am
ConTechAfrica: Alina Peter Daati's new initiative to bridge conservation issues to tech solutions
13 September 2023 4:56pm
Predator Monitoring & Community Conservation within the Greater Mara Ecosystem
13 September 2023 10:22am
The Maasai Mara: Conservation, Communities & Cattle
11 September 2023 2:12pm
Video: WCS Uganda innovating Human-Wildlife Conflict solutions
5 September 2023 12:04pm
Alibaba Cloud's Geo Fencing System in the Mara
1 September 2023 12:27pm
Wilson Sairowua, Tracking Manager at Mara Elephant Project (MEP) narrates how tech4change, Alibaba Cloud's Geo Fencing System paired with collaring has helped to mitigate human-elephant conflict across Maasai Mara and has facilitated a 72% increase in elephants in the Mara region
DSAIL Tech4Wildlife Workshop
1 September 2023 11:32am
26 September 2023 9:19am
Introducing Esther Githinji, WILDLABS East Africa Conservation Technology Facilitator
1 September 2023 11:23am
Seedbank Project on iNaturalist
25 August 2023 4:28am
Born Free Uses Smart Maps to Save Lions, Solve Human-Wildlife Conflict
17 August 2023 2:35pm
Location intelligence helps Born Free Kenya understand where communities and lions are in conflict. Outreach to fortify cattle corrals is guided by smart maps and spatial analysis.
East Africa Community Monthly Catch ups: Share your ideas!
15 August 2023 8:17am
16 August 2023 11:20pm
This is great to hear, thank you Esther!
I would love to learn about project opportunities within this community and how I might be able to contribute given that I'm located in the US.
I'd be happy to share my own experiences during these sessions, and ideas I have about what I personally would like to do in the future, I look forward to connecting with the rest of the community.
Any weekday from 2:30p-5:00p EAT works well for me, very exciting!
17 August 2023 2:04pm
Lovely to hear from you Kylie :) Thanks so much for contributing your thoughts and ideas towards this.
Digital Earth Africa establishes satellite office in Kenya to drive research and policy-making | Digital Watch Observatory
14 August 2023 3:44pm
The move will enable harnessing earth observation data for food security, environmental conservation, and climate change mitigation.
Earth Observation Tech Saved Critically Endangered Giraffes
14 August 2023 3:42pm
Here is a great story of how earth observation technologies and a specially-built barge dubbed the 'GiRaft' helped save critically endangered Rothschild's giraffes from Longcharo Island when rising lakes proved a significant threat.
Catch up with The Variety Hour: August 2023
14 August 2023 11:50am
Human-Elephant Conflict Tech Solution in Tsavo: NdovuCare
7 August 2023 1:36pm
As an East African woman in the field of Conservation Technology, what resources have been the most useful for you?
21 June 2023 8:23am
24 July 2023 6:56pm
@EstherGithinji These are some of the coolest programs! Thanks for sharing these. You are addressing 3 critical topics at once: (1) Wildlife Conservation; (2) Economic Opportunity at the Local Level in a sustainable manner that benefits from Wildlife Conservation; and (3) helping to create economic opportunities for women in Africa.
Many of the problems in Africa are the direct result of the economic/power imbalance between men and women. Many women in East Africa (I don't believe in Kenya or Tanzania, but for sure in Uganda where I witnessed it with my own eyes), are going off into "modern slavery" with "labor companies" who subcontract them out as domestic help or factory workers, but then take their passports once they land overseas and then don't pay the wages the women are due. The young women do this because they don't enough opportunities at home.
These programs that you are promoting make a huge difference!
25 July 2023 9:39am
Thanks @Drue_Freeman It really is important to empower young women across East Africa who have so much potential - through upskilling and training for skills that will be vital for the green jobs of the future - one being in conservation technology!
3 August 2023 3:02pm
Conservation Training Programs:
Training conservation leaders and giving them the skills and support they need to be effective on the ground. TBA programmes work on the ground in Africa and Asia, empowering students to make a positive, physical impact on the natural environment.
1. Field Courses: TBA month-long courses in tropical ecology and conservation. These courses are for students at advanced undergraduate or early postgraduate level who have a keen interest, but little experience, in tropical biology.
2. Specialist Courses: These courses provide tailor-made training for individuals, teams and organisations and target specific areas for professional growth.
3. Online Courses: TBA has made training more accessible with online courses.
TRCO Hiring Research Assistant
2 August 2023 7:07am
What Technologies are you using to Mitigate Human-Wildlife Conflict across East Africa?
1 August 2023 8:29am
How are the Arts intersecting with Conservation Technology in a rapidly changing world?
2 June 2023 10:30am
1 August 2023 8:27am
Using an AI-based Warning System to Protect Whales in South Africa
28 July 2023 11:01am
Working with WWF, Vodacom is using cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) technology and infrared cameras to help minimise whale entanglements in mussel farming ropes off the southwest coast of South Africa in Saldanha Bay.
Interested in being part of the Enduata Emaa CBO's Green Planet Ambassadors Project in Amboseli?
5 July 2023 10:28am
25 July 2023 1:14pm
@richardturere Hello :) and a warm welcome to WILDLABS! Here is the link to @Lekato Samuel Lekato - Founder and Chairman, Enduata Emaa CBO. Sam is interested in conservation technology focused on how to keep wild animals away from community homesteads in Amboseli and I reckon your Lion Lights could help. I'll let you two take on the conversation from here. Thanks!
Want to learn how to report on #ClimateChange? Here's a Free BBC Media Action Course
21 July 2023 11:46am
Gender4Climate Africa Challenge
21 July 2023 11:40am
Renew Capital launches Renew Venture Lab
19 July 2023 1:58pm
KCDF's Young Environmentalist Innovative Challenge Fund (YEIC)
19 July 2023 1:04pm
Discover Landsat data available through Digital Earth Africa
12 July 2023 7:30am
Landsat data is accessible to all users, regardless of your level of technical competency. The new ARD can be used to map and mitigate a number of challenges, such as monitoring rangelands which will help to preserve this essential terrain and could provide a key input for wildlife conservation efforts.
Visit Digital Earth Africa Docs for more information on Landsat Surface Reflectance and Landsat Surface Temperature. Digital Earth Africa provides a free self-paced training course, making Earth observation data accessible to problem-solvers worldwide.
Deadline Approaching: WE Africa Leadership Program 2024
7 July 2023 12:54pm
Africa Climate Week (ACW) 2023
6 July 2023 11:25am
26 September 2023 6:54am