The Background
The 572 sq km Pilanesberg National Park is located north of Rustenburg in the North West Province of South Africa. The Pilanesberg Nature Reserve is a premier wildlife conservation area, but it is suffering from a severe rhino poaching crisis. In recent years, South Africa has accounted for over 70% of global rhino losses due to poaching, with hundreds of animals killed each year for their horns.
The Pilanesberg Wildlife Trust (PWT), a non-profit organisation, is leading the fight to protect endangered species in the reserve, especially rhinos. To support this critical mission, South African telecommunications solutions provider Altron Nexus partnered with Pilanesberg’s Anti-Poaching Unit (APU) by donating state-of-the-art Hytera devices. This radio technology upgrade enables real-time communication and location tracking, directly contributing to Pilanesberg’s anti-poaching success.
The Challenge
The Pilanesberg Anti-Poaching Unit operates within a vast, 572 sq km landscape with challenging terrain. To effectively combat poaching, the APU needed a reliable and highly responsive communication network to improve ranger coordination, enhance situational awareness, and enable a rapid response to illegal activity reports.
Prior to Altron Nexus’s support, limited communication infrastructure hindered the APU’s operational capacity, resulting in delayed responses and increased risks for both rangers and wildlife.
The key challenges include: coordinating real-time responses across remote and rugged areas; ensuring rangers' safety and visibility to the command centre; preventing gaps in patrol coverage, especially in poaching hotspots; and, improving communication reliability to keep up with sophisticated poaching tactics.
The Solution
Altron Nexus donated a Hytera HR106X Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) repeater and
Hytera H-series DMR devices equipped with GPS tracking to Pilanesberg’s Anti-Poaching Unit. This integrated solution empowers rangers to communicate seamlessly across the reserve, with features tailored to conservation enforcement needs.
Alongside the repeater, Altron Nexus donated eight HM78XG mobile radios, one HM78X mobile radio and 12 HP68XG portable radios. Altron Nexus also installed solar-powered communication racks, a custom weatherproof outdoor housing unit for the repeater, and switches at the summit of Pilanesberg mountain. In addition, it provided expert installation of the mobile radio devices in ranger vehicles.
The Benefits
Enhanced Real-Time Communication
With reliable, long-range communication using Hytera H-series devices, rangers are able to maintain constant contact, effectively covering the entire reserve.
Improved Coordination
Reliable, wide-range communication covers Pilanesberg’s entire terrain, ensuring rangers operate with precision and unity.
GPS Tracking for Ranger and Wildlife Monitoring
GPS tracking in the radios allows the command centre to monitor ranger positions in real-time, optimising patrol routes and ensuring timely response to threats by dispatching the nearest rangers to suspicious activity locations.
Improved Ranger Safety
GPS location tracking ensures ranger visibility, mitigating risks in emergency situations and enabling help to be directed to the precise location.
Seamless Multi-Agency Collaboration
The radios’ interoperability enables cross-agency communication when partnering with law enforcement, boosting the unit’s impact in critical situations.
HM78XG/HM78X Mobile Radios
These versatile mobile radios are installed in ranger vehicles and provide secure, reliable communication with exceptional audio clarity, even in remote areas.
HP68XG Portable Radios
The compact and lightweight HP68XG devices are ideal for rangers on foot, ensuring easy handling during long patrols. They are built to withstand the harsh conditions of the reserve, including dust, water, and rugged terrain, making them perfect for the demanding tasks of the APU.
Loud, Clear Audio
The radios feature Hytera’s latest noise cancellation technology, ensuring loud, clear voice communications, even in windy or noisy environments.
Dual Mode Operation
The radios support both analog and digital modes, ensuring smooth communication with older devices while benefiting from the advanced features of digital technology.
Enhanced Signal Coverage
The HR106X repeater boosts signal coverage across the vast terrain of Pilanesberg, ensuring continuous and reliable communication even in previously hard-to-reach areas.
Remote Monitoring
The repeater includes remote monitoring capabilities, allowing the APU’s communication team to identify and address any issues promptly, ensuring uninterrupted operations.
The success of this solution at Pilanesberg demonstrates Hytera’s potential in conservation and security settings. Altron Nexus’s support exemplifies how technology can be harnessed to protect endangered wildlife, setting a benchmark for other reserves facing similar challenges in wildlife protection and poaching prevention.
