Ecoexist Project

Elephants & People Thriving Together 

What is the Ecoexist Project?

The Ecoexist Project is a conservation initiative based in Botswana dedicated to fostering coexistence between local communities and elephants in the Okavango Delta region. By addressing the challenges of human-elephant conflict, the project employs research and community engagement to develop sustainable solutions that benefit both people and wildlife. 

Through monitoring elephant movements, promoting responsible land use, and implementing conflict mitigation strategies, the Ecoexist Project empowers communities to protect their livelihoods while preserving the vital habitats of one of the world's largest elephant populations.

Elephants, Vital Research and Coexistence Strategies 

Botswana is renowned as the land of elephants, boasting a population of nearly 130,000, the largest free-roaming population in the world. Many more elephants inhabit regions bordering Botswana in Angola, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, spanning an enormous area of 440,000 square kilometers (approximately 169,000 square miles) known as the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA). Elephants, much like humans, require space, food, and water to thrive.

The Okavango Delta Panhandle is particularly vital for elephants, as they migrate between dry land resources in the north and west and the wetlands of the Okavango River and Delta to access essential water and resources. Some elephants exhibit transboundary movements into Namibia, Zambia, and Angola via Wildlife Dispersal Areas—key movement corridors that support wildlife connectivity across the KAZA TFCA landscape. Others prefer to remain within the Okavango Panhandle, where their needs are met.

For the past 15 years, the Ecoexist Project has been researching and monitoring the elephant population in this region. Their findings offer clear justifications for careful land-use planning and policies that protect elephant pathways as crucial habitats. This enables farmers to cultivate fields in areas less vulnerable to elephant interactions. They continue to collect data to deepen their understanding of how both people and elephants utilise the landscape, as well as their behavioural patterns, land and resource needs.

Go2Africa's Partnership With Ecoexist Project 

Our partnership begins with supporting the Xoa Elephant Dung Paper Making Group in bringing their sample product to market, particularly targeting local safari lodges. Currently, about 80% of stocked products and crafts in Botswana are imported, and the government is urging the tourism industry to shift this dynamic, aiming for 80% of products to be locally sourced. 

Additionally, we will sponsor the creation of an elephant-aware product lookbook that showcases various craft and food items from small businesses. This lookbook will have an initial print run to facilitate market outreach to lodges.