{"id":775611,"date":"2026-11-01T18:59:10","date_gmt":"2026-11-02T02:59:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=arcnews&#038;p=775611"},"modified":"2026-10-30T16:35:44","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T23:35:44","slug":"from-conflict-to-coexistence-mapping-wildlife-encounters-across-borders","status":"publish","type":"arcnews","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/from-conflict-to-coexistence-mapping-wildlife-encounters-across-borders","title":{"rendered":"From Conflict to Coexistence: Mapping Wildlife Encounters Across Borders"},"author":5752,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","transcript_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[423862,471981,422802],"tags":[163382,18442,165542,197122,279602],"arcnews_issues":[493590],"class_list":["post-775611","arcnews","type-arcnews","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arcgis-dashboards","category-arcgis-survey123","category-conservation","tag-arcgis-online","tag-data-collection","tag-data-sharing","tag-nonprofit","tag-wildlife","arcnews_issues-november-2026","arcnews_sections-your-work"],"acf":{"short_description":"In southern Africa, collecting consistent and reliable data about human-wildlife incidents is a crucial conservation task.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Human-wildlife conflict is one of the most persistent challenges facing conservationists across southern Africa. In places where people, livestock, and wildlife coexist, incidents involving crop damage, livestock losses, property destruction, and threats to human safety undermine conservation outcomes and local livelihoods.\r\n\r\nNowhere is this challenge more evident than in the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA), a vast landscape spanning Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Here, conservation entities operate under diverse governance structures, land-use systems, and reporting requirements. Many organizations collect human-wildlife conflict data, but differences in survey design, terminology, spatial resolution, and reporting formats have historically made it difficult to compare incidents or aggregate data at a regional scale. This fragmentation limits people\u2019s ability to coordinate responses informed by shared evidence.\r\n\r\nTo address this, Ecoexist Trust in Botswana and Connected Conservation in Zimbabwe\u2014both registered Esri Nonprofit Program organizations\u2014collaborated with technology nonprofit cbio to adopt ArcGIS Survey123, ArcGIS Online, and ArcGIS Dashboards to standardize and scale data collection and sharing.\r\n\r\nSince this work began in 2023, both organizations have digitally recorded hundreds of detailed human-wildlife conflicts across Botswana and Zimbabwe. Transitioning from paper-based reporting to digital records has reduced the time it takes to collect and clean data\u2014from days or even weeks to a few minutes. This allows teams to spend more time focusing on field operations, community engagement, and mitigation efforts."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":775612,"image_position":"right","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"\u201cHaving consistent and reliable data is fundamental to understanding whether our interventions are actually making a difference,\u201d said Graham McCulloch, director of Ecoexist. \u201cSurvey123 allows us to bring field data together in near real time, helping us track trends, evaluate our progress against organizational objectives, and communicate our impact much more clearly to communities, governments, partners, and donors.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h2>A Shared Problem, a Flexible Solution<\/h2>\r\nBoth Ecoexist and Connected Conservation manage long-term human-wildlife conflict monitoring programs that rely on field teams operating in remote environments. These teams require data collection tools that function offline, capture accurate spatial information, and are simple enough that rangers and community liaison officers can use them consistently.\r\n\r\nWorking together, teams from both nonprofits designed a core survey schema with a shared set of required fields, including incident type, date and time, location, species involved, and severity. Each organization was then able to extend the form with additional questions based on their local contexts. For instance, stakeholders in one location may only need to record the primary crop type affected during an incident, while in a different location, it may be necessary to record all crop types that were damaged.\r\n\r\nThis approach ensures that information about human-wildlife conflict remains consistent across borders while accommodating differences in national reporting requirements, land tenure systems, and mitigation strategies. The surveys also align with metrics used in government data collection to promote consistency across datasets."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":775613,"image_position":"left","orientation":"vertical","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h2>Cloud-Based Collaboration with ArcGIS Online<\/h2>\r\nOnce data is gathered in the field, records are synchronized as feature services in ArcGIS Online, where they are immediately available for visualization and analysis. To support collaboration, layers from each nonprofit\u2019s ArcGIS Online organization are shared within a dedicated group, enabling secure access to data across institutional boundaries.\r\n\r\nEcoexist and Connected Conservation each maintain their own dashboards, made with ArcGIS Dashboards, tailored to their specific audiences. Visualizations may differ, but the underlying data structure remains aligned thanks to the shared Survey123 schema\u2014ensuring that regional analyses are conducted without extensive post-processing. The dashboards, which have reporting workflows for donors and government partners, bolster operational decision-making and community engagement.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe dashboards have helped close the gap between collecting data in the field and actually using it, allowing us to visualize emerging [human-elephant conflict] patterns and communicate results without repeatedly having to manually collate and analyze spreadsheets,\u201d said McCulloch. \u201cThis makes reporting considerably faster and, importantly, gives our teams and partners a much clearer, near real-time picture of where conflict is occurring and whether our interventions are contributing to measurable change.\u201d\r\n\r\nOver time, the project team intends to develop a set of standardized regional dashboards on human-wildlife conflict that draw from the shared data pool. These dashboards will serve multiple audiences, including field managers, policymakers, and transboundary coordination bodies, providing timely insight into conflict patterns and response priorities across the KAZA TFCA.\r\n\r\nThe shared system also supports broader transfrontier conservation efforts. By collecting and reporting incidents using the same set of standards, partner organizations and government agencies can better understand how human-wildlife conflict happens and is dealt with across national boundaries. This strengthens coordination between countries and provides robust evidence for regional conservation planning."},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery_images":[775758,775759]},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h2>Managing Scale Through Standards and Version Control<\/h2>\r\nWork on the shared reporting standards has evolved over the last three years\u2014and continues to do so.\r\n\r\nTo guide the shared-reporting process, Ecoexist and Connected Conservation established a joint steering committee. Representatives from both organizations meet regularly to review feedback from the field, refine survey questions, and ensure the framework reflects operational realities in both countries. These discussions have been instrumental in developing a practical tool that reflects best practices from both organizations.\r\n\r\nAs interest in the human-wildlife conflict framework grows, additional stakeholders within the KAZA TFCA have expressed interest in adopting this GIS-based, digital approach to data collection and reporting. Scaling the system requires technical consistency and clear governance to ensure that any changes to the schema, field definitions, and reporting standards are made collectively, managed transparently, and implemented by everyone.\r\n\r\nThe joint steering committee provides a forum to review proposed changes and assess their effects on existing workflows. The cbio team supports this governance structure by maintaining version control of the Survey123 XLSForm and coordinating updates across organizations. The team also documents revisions, considers backward compatibility, and helps minimize disruptions to field operations."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":775616,"image_position":"right","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h2>Measurable Benefits That Extend Beyond the Field<\/h2>\r\nSince implementing ArcGIS technology, Ecoexist and Connected Conservation have experienced several tangible benefits. Field teams now record incidents digitally using mobile devices, which reduces paperwork and eliminates time-consuming data entry tasks. And the hundreds of incidents that have already been captured by the system contribute to a growing dataset that supports analysis and adaptive management.\r\n\r\nMost importantly, this approach strengthens the evidence needed to develop human-wildlife coexistence strategies. By improving the quality, consistency, and accessibility of human-wildlife conflict data, conservationists are better equipped to identify patterns, evaluate interventions, and engage constructively with affected communities.\r\n\r\n\u201cHaving accessible data from a wide landscape gives our organization and the relevant authorities . . . the ability to lobby government or NGOs to support farmer livelihoods,\u201d said Loki Osborn, executive director of Connected Conservation. \u201cWe have learnt that collaboration equates with buy-in from the politicians and decision-makers.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h2>Looking Ahead<\/h2>\r\nAs the KAZA TFCA continues to prioritize coordinated conservation across national boundaries, the importance of shared data standards becomes increasingly clear. And it goes beyond getting everyone to use the same technology. Partner organizations must be consistent in how they gather and report human-wildlife conflict data.\r\n\r\nEsri technology is well-suited to this work because it supports offline data collection, cloud-based sharing, scalable spatial analysis, and real-time reporting. But the framework is adaptable and open to other data-collection or management tools operating within the KAZA TFCA landscape\u2014provided they align with the agreed-upon data schema and reporting standards.\r\n\r\nThis standards-first approach allows innovation to continue at the organizational level while preserving the integrity of shared datasets. As additional conservation partners adopt and contribute to the framework, the initiative has the potential to become a regional model for human-wildlife conflict monitoring and reporting across the KAZA TFCA."}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.9 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>From Conflict to Coexistence: Mapping Wildlife Encounters Across Borders | November 2026 | ArcNews<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In southern Africa, collecting consistent and reliable data about human-wildlife incidents is a crucial conservation task.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/from-conflict-to-coexistence-mapping-wildlife-encounters-across-borders\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" 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