Research Impact

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Engage Conservation is working to address one of the most complex challenges facing wildlife in northern Limpopo, South Africa: how can we protect wildlife while creating a landscape where people and wildlife can coexist?

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Our work takes place in a challenging and rapidly changing environment where lions, leopards, hyenas, elephants and other wildlife move through a landscape shared with commercial farms, private reserves, hunting areas and local communities. As natural habitats become increasingly fragmented, wildlife is exposed to roads, fences, human activity, illegal hunting and other pressures. Predators in particular can come into conflict with livestock owners and people, while wild animals moving between properties can become vulnerable to persecution or removal.

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We believe that effective conservation must go beyond simply protecting individual animals. We need to understand how wildlife uses the landscape, identify where the greatest threats occur, and work with people to develop practical solutions.

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What have we achieved?

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Our projects have already generated valuable field data and practical conservation outcomes across northern Limpopo and the wider Mapungubwe landscape:

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• Wildlife monitoring and research: We conduct camera-trap surveys, spoor and scat transects, behavioural observations and habitat-use studies to establish where wildlife is present, how populations are using the landscape and how their behaviour changes in response to environmental pressures.

• Predator conservation: A major focus of our work is understanding and protecting species such as lions, leopards and hyenas. Our lion monitoring work has involved mapping movements, identifying individuals and prides, recording spoor and behaviour, and monitoring areas of importance to predator populations.

• Human-wildlife conflict: By collecting evidence about wildlife movements and the areas where animals and people overlap, we aim to help identify potential conflict hotspots and develop more effective strategies for reducing conflict before it results in injury, livestock losses or the persecution of wildlife.

• Anti-poaching and wildlife protection: Volunteers contribute directly to anti-poaching activities, including field patrols, spoor and activity searches, monitoring of vulnerable areas and the identification of signs of illegal activity. This work helps protect both predators and their prey.

• Landscape mapping: GPS data, wildlife sightings, camera-trap records and field observations are being used to build a better understanding of how animals move through the landscape. This information can ultimately help identify important wildlife corridors and areas requiring greater protection.

• Evidence-based conservation: Where we encounter evidence of potentially harmful or illegal practices, we document observations and gather information that can help discourage inappropriate activity, support land managers and inform future conservation projects.

• Building conservation skills: Our volunteers and students receive practical training in wildlife tracking, camera trapping, GPS use, field surveying, behavioural observation, data management and spatial mapping. This creates a growing network of people with real-world conservation skills and experience.

• Supporting future conservation scientists: We work with university students, researchers and volunteers, providing hands-on experience in field research and conservation. This helps develop the next generation of conservation practitioners while simultaneously increasing the amount of useful field data being collected.

 

What comes next?

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Our long-term goal is to develop a more connected and collaborative approach to conservation across the northern Limpopo landscape. We want to:

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• Engage and educate local communities — helping people understand the ecological and economic value of predators and other wildlife, while working towards practical solutions to human-wildlife conflict.

• Map and protect wildlife corridors — identifying important routes used by animals moving between farms, reserves and other natural areas, with the aim of encouraging safer movement through an increasingly fragmented landscape.

• Increase local employment opportunities — developing opportunities for local people to become involved in wildlife monitoring, conservation and research, providing valuable skills and alternative sources of income that can reduce reliance on activities such as poaching.

• Expand collaborative research — working with landowners, universities, conservation organisations and local stakeholders to combine data and create a much larger picture of wildlife movements, threats and conservation priorities.

• Turn research into action — ensuring that the data collected in the field doesn’t simply remain in spreadsheets or research reports, but is used to influence land management, improve wildlife protection and guide future conservation decisions.

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Ultimately, our aim is to help create a landscape where wildlife has space to move, local communities benefit from conservation, and people and wildlife can coexist more successfully. Every volunteer who joins Engage contributes to this process. Whether collecting camera-trap data, tracking predators, conducting surveys, supporting anti-poaching activities or helping us understand how animals use the landscape, their contribution becomes part of a growing body of practical conservation research.