From Space to Savannah: Argos Services Prevent Conflict between Cattle and Carnivores

In South Africa, many livestock farmers live close to protected nature reserves. When cattle wander into these areas, they are at risk of being attacked by wild predators such as lions, leopards, or wild dogs. For farmers, this often means losing valuable animals and income.

To prevent these losses, some farmers may take drastic action by killing predators to protect their herds. But this puts endangered species at even greater risk and damages efforts to preserve biodiversity.

So, how can we help farmers protect their livestock without harming wildlife? CLS, a global leader in satellite-based environmental monitoring, is using Argos Services to address this issue. In partnership with the Endangered Wildlife Trust, CLS has launched a pilot project near Kruger National Park, one of Africa’s most important conservation areas.

Argos Services: a space-based solution for coexistence

At the heart of the project is CLS’ Argos Services, that enables wildlife and environmental tracking in remote areas. Argos Services are now being applied to protect both livestock and predators, offering a practical, near real-time solution for human-wildlife conflict.

How does it work?
The solution is based on three major pillars:

• Satellite-connected livestock tags: each cow is fitted with a GPS-enabled tag connected with Argos Services allowing farmers and rangers to track cattle movements in near real-time, even in areas without mobile phone coverage.
• Geofencing: with Argos Services, virtual boundaries (geofences) are created along the edges of protected areas. If livestock cross these boundaries into nature reserves, the system detects the movement instantly.
• Near real-time alerts for everyone: Park rangers can receive alerts through the EarthRanger platform currently in use, enabling them to respond rapidly to prevent predator encounters and farmers are notified through a user-friendly alert interface supported by Argos Services, so they can act quickly to retrieve their animals.

By combining these three pillars, Argos services provide a powerful tool that helps conserve endangered predators by reducing the need for retaliatory killing, it protects farmers livelihoods by helping avoid livestock losses and reduces human-wildlife conflict through a proactive and tech-driven solution.

This solution is simple to use, effective in the field and independent of local infrastructure, making it a reliable choice for remote areas.

Early Success

The pilot project is already making a difference. Just one week after the tags were deployed, a herd of cattle was detected inside the protected reserve. Thanks to an early alert, the farmer was able to retrieve the animals safely—before any harm could occur.

A few weeks later, on April 22, another incursion was recorded. This time too, the alert system worked: the farmer was notified, and the herd was brought back by April 25, once again avoiding potential losses and conflict.

A Scalable Solution

This proof of concept demonstrates how Argos Services can bridge the gap between conservation and community needs. By combining space-based technology with on-the-ground action, the project offers a replicable model for other regions facing human-wildlife conflict.