The Use of ‘Push to Talk’ Mobile Phone Technology to Reduce Human Elephant Conflict, Laikipia District, Kenya

Human-elephant conflict is a significant problem in Kenya, as in many other parts of Africa and Asia where wild elephant populations persist outside protected areas. Various methods have been tried to reduce human-elephant conflict, ranging from traditional farm-based deterrence to electrified fences. The success of all forms of deterrence depends on the effectiveness of collaboration among farmers and wildlife management authorities. In particular, early-warning of crop raiding is important in successful raid deterrence. The rapid spread of mobile phone technologies in rural Africa is changing patterns of communication among local actors. This pa-
per reports a study of the effectiveness of mobile phone technology in tackling human-elephant
conflict in Laikipia District, north-central Kenya.
The technology tested is ‘Push to Talk over Cellular’ Technology. This enables communication between two individuals, or among a group of people, combining the functionality of a two-way radio with a mobile phone. Push to Talk users can make standard phone calls and send SMS. Push to Talk technology requires less airtime, demands less energy, and is less costly than a conven-tional phone call.
Mobile phones are widely distributed in Laikipia, and network coverage is extensive. Push to Talk was trialed in three locations with a long-standing history of crop-raiding by elephants, and where local farmers were engaged in attempts to defend their field, Mwenje, Rumuruti and Ex-Erok.
In all three areas Push to Talk technology improved coordination of responses to human elephant conflict, bridging problematic relationships between the different stakeholders (the Kenya Wildlife Service, the smallholder farming community, private landowners and police). Push to Talk also helped address security incidents such as livestock theft.
This trial suggests that Push to Talk technology can make mobile phone use more affordable and accessible to poorer communities, and also make group communication possible. This has a number of potential applications. Push to Talk, and mobile phones technology more generally, is relevant to community-based human-elephant conflict mitigation where there is good mobile coverage and widespread adoption.