While many of us may not hear about elephants and rhinoceroses except for when we visit a zoo or watch a nature documentary, the survival of these animals and their species as a whole are still very much at risk. Elephants Without Borders reported in an April 2024 report that between October 2023 and February 2024, 56 elephants were found dead in a northern Botswana “poaching hotspot.” For a species with a population of less than 450,000 and a flat population growth rate, a continuation of this trend could be disastrous.
EPI-USE is part of Group Elephant, an organization of over 20 businesses that provide exceptional business services and works for the preservation of elephants and rhinos by donating 1% of annualized revenue to ERP.ngo. ERP provides protection and support of elephants, rhinos, and the people who live in close contact with these animals in order to reduce poaching and promote preservation. For elephants in particular, ERP’s focus is on the communities surrounding the Melorane ERP Game Reserve.
Building upon the initiatives of previous years, ERP has expanded its commitment to the economic and animal-monitoring factors that promote the peace and mutual prosperity of the people and elephants around Melorane.
Our World Elephant Day 2023 post goes into detail on the threats to the African elephant. ERP works to alleviate the biggest threat to African elephants: People. By addressing the economic causes of poaching and land disputes, ERP helps protect these animals while improving the lives of the people who live in their communities.
Poaching prevention is a community issue
Poaching is an economic problem that can largely be prevented. Educating community members and providing them with the resources they need to earn income that doesn’t involve poaching is key to reducing the problem. ERP works with the communities surrounding nature preserves and provides training and access to technology that is critical to economic success in these areas.
Successful economic growth initiatives run by ERP in 2024 include:
- ERP Bikes for transportation to and from training.
- Learning and training software via iPhones.
- Basebo Training Institute candidates graduated.
- K9 Security Training for poaching control.
- Formal Ranger Training for security and preservation.
These initiatives bring jobs, training, and much-needed technological resources to the communities surrounding the reserve land. Educating and training the community members to protect the animals against poaching and other harmful practices brings income into the community and changes the local sentiment toward the animals.
Good fences make good neighbors
Unfortunately for many communities that border elephant reserves, elephants don’t use maps and don’t know when they’ve crossed out of the reserve and into local farms. Conflict can arise between the elephant and human communities when farms, businesses, and other human infrastructure encroaches on elephant migration routes.
To reduce these location-based conflicts, ERP has invested in several initiatives that help keep elephants in the reserve areas and out of community areas, protecting both the people and the resources. Locale and tracking initiatives have the added benefit of bringing jobs and training to the community, and include:
- Bee keeping and bee fence lines.
- Food and water access for elephants via wells in drought season.
- Air force of drones and planes to monitor and research individual herds.
- Tracking via monitor collars to pinpoint herds.
- 24/7 security for local land overlap areas.
The jobs and increased attention on the borders of the nature reserve has improved the lives of both elephants and people.
Growth through preservation
ERP and Group Elephant work together to build a sustainable infrastructure that supports both people and elephants. In addition to the programs listed above, ERP released four Livingstone Eland into the Melorane ERP Game Reserve, further diversifying the animal population in the reserve.
Continued investment in the people and elephants of Melorane is critical to the preservation of elephants and their peaceful coexistence in the wild. Learn more about Group Elephant and ERP at their websites, or follow @ERP.redux on Instagram.
