When we talk about conservation in Africa, we often focus on the big-ticket challenges: habitat destruction, illegal wildlife trade, and poaching.

I've always known that poaching stems from more than just poverty, hunger and traditional practices.  But over the past few years, I’ve come to understand that the drivers of poaching are far more complex than they first appear.  Poaching is often a symptom of deeper societal issues; boredom, opportunity "a-way-of-life." This realization has fundamentally changed the way I think about conservation. It’s not just about protecting animals or enhancing security, I’m more interested in using conservation technology as a vehicle to create alternative options. For me, this isn’t just a strategy; it’s a mission. We need to provide people with viable, sustainable pathways that make poaching less appealing by offering better opportunities in life.

At  Zanza Labs, we’ve made it our mission to tackle these challenges in a way that combines education, entrepreneurship, and technology. Our vision is to create pathways for young people to develop marketable skills, ensuring that conservation isn't just about saving animals but also about providing real, tangible opportunities for the communities living near these wildlife hotspots.

Building a Pathway from Connectivity to Conservation Tech Labs

The first step is to establish Wi-Fi spots in key locations across reserves and nearby communities. Connectivity is the foundation for everything. It allows communities to access information, educational resources, and job opportunities, while also enabling us to implement monitoring systems that track wildlife movements, environmental changes, and potential poaching activities. Once Wi-Fi is in place, it opens up a world of possibilities, both for conservation and for the people living in these areas.

From there, we move to creating ICT hubs. These centers will serve as training grounds where young people can develop essential digital skills—from basic computer literacy to more advanced programming and data analysis. These hubs will also act as community centers where locals can learn about conservation efforts, interact with experts, and contribute to data collection through citizen science programs.

But we can’t stop at just providing connectivity and basic ICT training. That’s where our Creators Labs come in. These labs will focus on fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, teaching young people how to develop their own tech solutions for the challenges facing their communities. Whether it’s designing a new app to report wildlife sightings, creating drone-based surveillance systems, or building IoT sensors for water and soil monitoring, the goal is to empower young minds to become creators and problem-solvers.

Finally, we’ll scale up to full-fledged Conservation Tech Labs, where young people can apply their skills to real-world conservation problems. These labs will be the breeding ground for innovation in areas like remote sensing, AI-based wildlife monitoring, and data analytics. But more importantly, they’ll be creating technologies that are directly relevant to local conservation efforts, helping protect biodiversity while also providing marketable skills that are transferable across industries.

Skills that Transfer Beyond Conservation

One of the things I’m most excited about is how the skills we’re building in this pathway are transferable. When we talk about conservation tech, we’re not just talking about isolated projects. We’re talking about equipping young people with digital and technical skills that can be applied across a wide range of sectors—whether it’s agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare, or any other industry that requires tech-savvy professionals.

Think about it: a young person who learns to analyze data from wildlife sensors is developing the same skill set needed for IoT systems in smart cities or precision agriculture. A creator who designs a drone for anti-poaching surveillance could just as easily apply that knowledge to design drones for delivery services or environmental monitoring. This is what makes conservation technology so powerful—it’s not just about protecting wildlife, it’s about building a future-ready workforce.

A New Way Forward

In the end, conservation needs to evolve to keep pace with the modern world. We can’t continue to separate the people from the wildlife, assuming that protecting one means excluding the other. That mindset hasn’t worked. Instead, we need to integrate communities into the solution, offering them the tools, skills, and opportunities they need to thrive alongside the natural world.

At Zanza Labs, we’re committed to making that happen. The path from Wi-Fi spots to Conservation Tech Labs isn’t just a strategic roadmap for wildlife protection—it’s a journey toward a new model of conservation, one that’s sustainable, inclusive, and forward-thinking.

This is the future of conservation: combining technology, education, and economic empowerment to tackle not just the symptoms, but the root causes of poaching and habitat destruction. By building skills and creating opportunities, we’re helping to shape a world where both wildlife and communities can thrive.

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About The Author

Johann Nortje

Johann brings two decades of expertise in technology seamlessly interwoven with a passion for conservation and development. His career reflects a drive for the confluence of these ideas through projects across the African continent.