In eastern Zambia, a combination of community radio broadcasting and satellite-based wildlife tracking technology is helping farming communities reduce dangerous encounters with elephants and predators in one of southern Africa’s key conservation corridors.
At Chikaya FM, a community radio station based in Lundazi district, local broadcasters and wildlife officials regularly host live programs advising villagers on how to cope with increasing human-wildlife conflict near the border with Malawi.
The broadcasts target communities living within a transfrontier conservation area linking parts of eastern Zambia and neighboring Malawi, where elephants, hyenas, and other wildlife frequently move through farming settlements, schools, and villages.
During one recent radio program, presenter Joseph Mwale hosted officials from Zambia’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife, including Senior Ranger Mathews Mumbi, who urged listeners to avoid unnecessary movement at night following a series of fatal hyena attacks in the region.
Wildlife officials say spotted hyenas have killed four children since October in Lundazi and neighboring Lumezi district, heightening fears among rural communities already struggling with livestock losses and crop destruction caused by wildlife.
Callers to the radio program reported attacks on goats and chickens and sought advice on how to protect their families and animals. Officials encouraged residents to reinforce livestock enclosures, improve outdoor lighting using solar systems, and promptly report wildlife incidents to authorities rather than attempting to kill dangerous animals themselves.
The radio broadcasts form part of a broader coexistence initiative supported by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, commonly known as IFAW, which works with Zambia’s wildlife department across Lundazi, Lumezi, and Chipangali districts.
While community radio provides education and emergency communication, conservation officials are also relying on advanced satellite monitoring systems to track elephant movements across the region.
According to IFAW, 31 elephants in Malawi’s Kasungu National Park have been fitted with satellite collars linked to the EarthRanger monitoring platform, allowing conservation teams to monitor herds in real time.
Because the collared elephants are matriarchs leading family groups, officials can track much of the wider elephant population moving through the conservation corridor between Malawi and Zambia.
When elephants approach designated alert zones near farms and villages, the system automatically sends notifications through SMS, WhatsApp, and email to wildlife officials and rapid response teams deployed in affected communities.
The satellite alerts are particularly important during harvest periods when elephants frequently raid maize fields, threatening livelihoods and food security for rural farmers.
Henry Ndaimani, IFAW’s landscape conservation program manager in the region, said the monitoring system allows authorities to respond quickly to potential conflict situations before elephants reach farming settlements.
Community volunteers known as Primary Response Teams also contribute to the initiative by uploading reports of wildlife incidents through smartphones, enabling officials to track attacks involving elephants, hyenas, and other animals.
Beyond monitoring, conservation groups are installing solar-powered electric fencing around vulnerable farming clusters to deter elephants from entering crop fields. By March this year, officials said 29 protected farming clusters covering roughly 80 kilometers had been completed, with additional expansion planned.
Despite occasional technical setbacks involving damaged satellite collars, wildlife experts say the combined use of radio communication, mobile technology, and satellite tracking is helping communities better coexist with wildlife while reducing risks to both people and animals.
Conservation officials note that radio remains one of the most trusted and accessible sources of information in rural Zambia, particularly in farming communities where internet access remains limited and human-wildlife conflict continues to affect daily life.