Guardians & Ambassadors: community-based capacity building for human-elephant co-existence in Zimbabwe

Project completed March 2025

Project Overview

Our project successfully established a unique human-elephant collaboration fostering co-existence between local communities and elephants in Zimbabwe. Centered on a herd of habituated elephants re-homed from the elephant riding industry, we conducted mutually respectful workshops with these 'ambassador' elephants and provided training, equipment, and job opportunities to local people. Through these initiatives, we've equipped community members with the tools needed to become elephant guardians in their communities. Our work has laid a promising foundation towards greater human-elephant coexistence, though long-term monitoring will be needed to confirm sustained success.

Project Aims

• Increase understanding of elephants by workshop participants - 100% of participants reported significantly improved knowledge
• Increase understanding of elephants in the wider community - Initial positive reception, with ongoing community engagement efforts
• Identify and equip a Community Guardian - Successfully appointed in October 2024 with all planned resources
• Increase uptake of deterrent measures - Enhanced implementation with encouraging community response
• Reduce human-elephant conflict incidents - Early indicators positive, requiring continued monitoring
• Reduce crop damage - Preventative measures in place, effectiveness to be evaluated over growing seasons
• Transform negative perceptions of elephants - Workshop participants showed complete attitude improvement, wider community change in progress
• Gather comprehensive M&E data - Regular reporting established, with opportunities for technological improvements

Key Activities

• Successfully delivered a three-day workshop and training program in September 2024
• Selected and appointed a Community Guardian in October 2024
• Equipped the Guardian with essential tools including a bicycle, GPS, and phone
• Established a weekly reporting system for elephant activity data
• Enhanced and maintained chilli fences in the target community
• Collected feedback showing 100% of workshop participants reported improved understanding of elephants
• Provided supplementary income for the Guardian during the 12-month project

Conservation Impact

Human-elephant conflict remains high in the Kavango–Zambezi Trans-frontier Conservation Area, with elephant deaths from Problem Animal Control outstripping deaths by poaching. Our project has demonstrated early positive results in improved attitudes toward elephants and enhanced deterrent measures. The Guardian's regular data collection has helped eleCREW build a clearer picture of human-elephant interaction patterns in the target community. With continued support, this model shows promise for promoting sustainable co-existence as human populations continue to grow across elephant ranges.

Outcomes

• 10 local participants successfully completed elephant community outreach training in September 2024
• A Community Guardian was appointed in October 2024 and immediately began work
• All planned equipment (bicycle, GPS, and phone) was delivered to the Guardian
• Weekly data collection on elephant activities has been consistently maintained
• Chilli fence management has improved significantly with dedicated Guardian oversight
• Workshop feedback revealed unanimous improvement in participants' understanding of elephants
• The Guardian has benefited from the supplementary income, though sustainability beyond the initial 12-month period requires additional funding
• Community attitudes show promising shifts, with more comprehensive assessment planned
• Data collection systems are functioning well, with potential for technological enhancements
• Community members express optimism about deterrent effectiveness for the upcoming growing season, with long-term impact monitoring underway

Project team profiles

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Rory Wilson (2021-22) Project lead Rory Wilson brings extensive project and programme management experience across government, NGO, and conservation sectors, including serving as Programme Manager for Curlew Action's startup, growing it from a two-person operation to a five-person team with six-figure turnover. As a three-year strategy advisor to eleCREW, he has established strong working relationships with key team members while providing pro bono support to maximize local employment. His field experience includes qualification with the Field Guides Association of Southern Africa, professional safari guiding, and expertise in animal behavior, off-road driving, and first aid. As an Associate Fellow of Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics with an MPhil in Conservation Leadership, he combines practical field skills with ethical expertise essential for working with complex elephant social structures. Currently working in biodiversity conservation in Cambridge, Rory provides strategic links between field teams and the international conservation community, opening unique funding opportunities and career development pathways for local staff. This blend of management experience, field expertise, and international connections positions him to effectively lead programme implementation, secure resources, manage stakeholders, and oversee data analysis.

External contributors