These free connections will have a twofold positive impact on the activities that EWT carries out with this program. On the one hand, they will allow it to save a significant amount of money that it currently invests in this service, which can then be allocated to developing other activities to conserve and protect the environment and wildlife.
And on the other hand, it will be able to improve and increase its capabilities, placing more IoT sensors on more vultures than they currently carry, about 200, thus covering a larger area and increasing the success in controlling and monitoring these illegal activities.
The vultures' IoT sensors will connect to Sateliot's satellites, allowing rangers to access this data across the vast expanses of water and land where most of the biodiversity they aim to protect is found. These areas are home to numerous animal and plant species, some of which are under immense pressure and endangered.
The EWT considers vultures a crucial species in the fight against poaching. Currently, illegal trade and poisoning are the main causes of the decline in wildlife populations.
EWT's "Eye in the Sky" system covers approximately 2 million km2 of South Africa with some 200 vultures of five different species monitoring the area and forest rangers controlling the data using EarthRanger software.
The system has not only saved hundreds of vultures, but has also played a crucial role in the early detection and decontamination of the environment, preventing further devastation of wildlife. In particular, the system has helped to apprehend poachers and even identify two poaching camps, demonstrating its value to law enforcement.
The monitoring of vultures has also enabled rangers to effectively locate and dismantle large lines of snares used both for bushmeat and for its illegal trade, removing hundreds of traps that would otherwise have gone unnoticed.
According to Alison Janicke, EWT's business development director, “Sateliot's support will have a significant impact on our organization, as this financial relief will allow us to allocate those funds to other critical conservation efforts. We will also be able to dedicate the time we spend fundraising to conservation activities on the ground.”
Gianluca Redolfi, communications director at Sateliot, explains that "with Sateliot's advanced capacity allocation techniques, NGOs can take advantage of free satellite capacity during specific time slots and locations at no additional cost, thus achieving a greater impact on the ground in support of biodiversity conservation."
