Tech watch: Real-time monitoring tools save species

From the newsletter

This edition of our tech watch examines two new conservation technologies that illustrate how real-time monitoring is easing biodiversity management across the continent. Kenya is piloting the two tech: high-resolution satellites to protect the critically endangered mountain bongo and a digital platform with sensors and AI to minimise human-wildlife conflict.

• Kenya deployed high-resolution satellite Earth observation technology on 16 January 2026 at the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy in Nanyuki to monitor habitat changes affecting the critically endangered mountain bongo. The system is implemented by the Kenya Space Agency in partnership with Planet Labs.

• The EarthRanger digital monitoring platform, deployed in Amboseli and other conservancies, reduces human-wildlife conflict by integrating different sensor networks and alerting rangers and communities on approaching wildlife.

More details

• The high-resolution satellite Earth observation technology monitors habitat changes affecting the critically endangered mountain bongo. The system is being implemented by the Kenya Space Agency in partnership with Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy and Planet Labs. It was formally launched on 16 January 2026 in Nanyuki under Project Centinela.

• The technology draws on daily imagery from Planet’s commercial satellite constellation, which captures high-resolution data on forest cover and land-use change. The data is processed to detect deforestation, illegal encroachment, fire outbreaks and habitat degradation across mountain bongo range areas, including Mount Kenya, the Aberdare, Eburu and Mau forest complexes in central Kenya.

• Satellite imagery is analysed alongside ground-based ecological data to generate near-real-time alerts and spatial assessments. This enables conservation teams to identify changes within days rather than weeks or months. The system replaces reliance on periodic aerial surveys and manual patrol reports, particularly in remote and rugged forest terrain where access and visibility are limited.

• Kenya Wildlife Service, on the other hand, is deploying integrated early-warning and wildlife monitoring technology to reduce human-wildlife conflict across key conservation landscapes, including Maasai Mara, Amboseli, Tsavo and Laikipia. The system combines artificial intelligence, satellite and sensor networks under the EarthRanger platform, to improve wildlife surveillance across protected areas.

• The technology aggregates data from satellite collars, smart camera traps, drones, thermal imaging devices, acoustic sensors and long-range radio networks into a unified operational dashboard. When animals cross virtual geofences near farms or settlements, automated alerts are transmitted in real time to ranger units and community networks through radio systems and digital messaging channels.

• Long-range, low-power telemetry networks transmit wildlife movement data over distances exceeding 20 kilometres in remote parks such as Marsabit and Samburu, where connectivity is limited. The platform enables continuous tracking of species movements, night-time thermal detection and rapid threat identification. It allows response teams to deploy quickly and redirect wildlife movement.

Our take

• Real-time monitoring allows rangers and conservationists to respond to biodiversity threats before they escalate.

• It improves situational awareness across vast and remote landscapes, highlighting changes in habitat, animal movement, environmental threats or human encroachment as they happen.