Monitoring elephants for conservation in Zimbabwe
Since taking over management of the 290,000-acre Sapi Reserve in 2015, Great Plains has focused on assessing the area’s biodiversity and implementing conservation activities to restore and enhance the ecosystem. This work has become increasingly vital due to increasing challenges faced across the landscape including declining wildlife populations, highlighting the importance of creating wildlife refuges – protected areas where species can recover and thrive. This is increasingly vital in an area such as Sapi Reserve which forms part of several transfrontier conservation areas and therefore key population refuges.


A healthy ecosystem is maintained through a delicate balance of flora and fauna. When large herbivores, predators, pollinators, or plants face steep declines or even extinction, the consequences can ripple throughout the entire ecosystem, leading to long-term degradation. In such cases, if the natural restoration of species is not possible, translocation efforts can play a critical role in restoring ecological functions and promoting biodiversity.
Translocating species, especially those that have become extinct in certain areas or have critically low populations, can help revitalize ecosystems by reintroducing keystone species. This process is vital for species that require large territories to thrive. For example, large herbivores such as elephants are essential to maintaining landscape health through their grazing, seed dispersal, and habitat-shaping behaviours.
As elephant populations continue to decline across various regions, conservation efforts to protect and restore these populations are essential for ecosystem stability. Monitoring elephants and collecting data on movements is an essential tool to understanding populations.
In 2022, the Great Plains Foundation successfully translocated thirteen herds or 101 individual elephantsinto the Sapi Reserve in Zimbabwe. Each herd’s matriarch was collared before their release into the Sapi Reserve to enable efficient post-translocation monitoring. Additionally, 10 resident elephants were collared in the same timeperiod and area. The collaring efforts have enabled monitoring elephants of both translocated and resident herds to be continuous, providing invaluable data on their physical condition, social behaviour, and movements.


Over the last two years the ability to track the collared herds, using VHF tracking and modern platforms such as Earth Ranger, has proven significantly valuable for both visibility on ecosystem condition changes as well as promoting human-elephant coexistence. To give an example, in June 2023 an elephant herd was detected moving to a nearby community area.
Great Plains Foundation, in partnership with Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) and other partners, were able to intervene and guide the herd back into the protected area before any conflict with local communities occurred. Additionally, chili-string fences have been erected in key locations to deter elephants from venturing into local communities, further enhancing human-elephant coexistence and reducing potential conflict in the region.


Monitoring elephant movements also provides valuable insights into the broader environmental conditions of the Zambezi Valley. The Sapi Reserve has no fences and is a part of the greater Lower Zambezi Mana Pools Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA), as well as the Zimbabwe-Mozambique-Zambia Transfrontier Park (ZIMOZA). Maps created by the Great Plains team on the spatial patterns of each elephant herd using the collaring data provide essential insight into movement routes. As elephants migrate, their movements are closely linked to changes in habitat quality, water availability, and vegetation.
The team have reported herds moving across the Zambezi into Zambia, indicating a broader range of movement that has sparked a regional discussion for the reasons for this movement. An example of this involves discussions around the changing water levels of the Zambezi River as a reason for the herd movements, contributing to future predictions, and conservation decisions.
These shifts are recorded and contribute to a growing ecological database that helps researchers better understand the health and dynamics of the region’s ecosystems. By continuously observing elephant behaviors and their interaction with the environment, conservationists can make informed decisions on how to better manage both the elephants and their habitat.


The success of monitoring elephants underscores the critical role of technology and collaborative efforts in wildlife conservation. As elephant populations continue to be carefully monitored, the data collected from collaring and tracking will remain an essential tool in ensuring the long-term health of the Zambezi Valley’s ecosystems. With careful planning, technology, and cooperation, ecological balance can be restored and preserved for generations to come.
Monitoring elephants requires skilled rangers, equipment and infrastructure. To support the conservation of elephants, donate here.