(Source: Botswana Dept. of Wildlife Report, April 2025; National Geographic, May 2, 2025)
- What happened: Botswana deployed low-cost thermal drones (built with recycled e-waste) to monitor elephant movements near farms. Alerts via SMS give farmers 2-hour warnings to scare herds with chili smoke—not bullets.
- Real impact: Crop raids fell 76% in pilot zones (Kgalagadi District), saving 340+ farmer livelihoods. Zero elephants killed in 2024—first time in a decade.
- Why it matters: Appropriate tech (not military-grade surveillance) respects community autonomy.
→ Key lesson for GVI: GHIP youth can build similar low-cost sensors for our mangrove/coastal flood early-warning systems.
