- Client
Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZIMPARKS)
- Industry
Conservation
- Products
PD48X Handheld Radio
PD78XG Handheld Radio
MD65X Digital Mobile Radio
MD78X Digital Mobile Radio
RD98X Digital Repeater
PDC760 Multi-Mode Advanced Radio
Manpack Repeater
SmartDispatch System
- The Background
The ZIMPARKS manages one of the largest estates in the country, about 5 million hectares of land or 13% of Zimbabwe's total land area. It is responsible for conserving Zimbabwe's wildlife and wilderness resources, in National Parks, Protected Areas, and other state-owned lands. Among these areas, Marongora, Lake Kariba, Mana Pools National Park, and Chewore South are regions this project focused on.
- The Challenge
Endowed with a rich heritage of plant and animal species as well as a diverse landscape, the Zimbabwe Parks provide an excellent viewing experience for the visitors but also pose significant challenges for the rangers.
In recent years, this situation was further aggravated by COVID-19. As tourism is being halted worldwide, the need for rangers’ presence to monitor for wildlife crime in areas normally frequented by visitors has increased while, with less revenue from tourism, the parks won’t be able to increase the recruitment of rangers to manage the park. Even worse, contributions from the private sector and
NGO donors and partners have also been severely affected by COVID-19. In addition to this, the existing communication network of the Zimbabwe Parks is outdated.
Previously, the rangers of ZIMPARKS mainly used analog radios of mixed brands. With such a vast area to cover, each ranger is assigned to manage a large area of land and needs to go on extended patrol from time to time. With analog radios, the rangers would constantly receive white noise when communicating over distances approaching maximum range and the calling range is also very
limited. The rangers need to carry extra batteries with them for batteries of analog radios drain fast. Moreover, the rangers also had trouble hearing in noisy environments.
- The Solution
After sorting out the needs of ZIMPARKS, Hytera offered a convergent communication solution that integrates both broadband and narrowband technology. Multiple sets of Hytera DMR handheld radios, digital mobile radios, DMR repeaters, multi-mode advanced radios, manpack repeaters, and a SmartDispatch system were supplied.
Hytera PD48X and PD78XG portable radios that feature GPS positioning functions are offered to the rangers. These two models are known for their robust and rugged design. In digital mode, the PD48X can support continuous operation for around 16 hours. Rangers can text each other if they do not want to make a sound to disturb the animals. These 2 models also support both analog and digital channels to ease the financial pressure brought by digital migration.
The Hytera manpack repeater is a digital/analog portable repeater that is compatible with the DMR standard. This device is compact for easy transport and can be carried by the rangers conveniently. It supports a range of power supply options to guarantee uninterrupted communications when the rangers are on an extended patrol.
Emergency situations are no stranger to ZIMPARKS. Hytera SmartDispatch system supports multiple data services, GPS positioning services, and safety features. Together with PDC760 which can access both narrowband and broadband networks and with front/rear cameras, instantly visualized dispatching is realized.
- The Results
Now all the rangers are able to communicate with each other and with the main office disturb-free. No extra batteries are needed since a single charge of the radios suffices for an extended patrol.
Getting lost in the dense forest is a thing of the past as the rangers can easily get GPS coordinates with the radios they carry.
From the management perspective, the SmartPatch allows them to accurately locate the position of the rangers and initiate private calls, group calls, and all calls for quick deployment. Its Lone Worker function helps the main office to check on the radio users after selected time intervals. Now even with limited manpower, ZIMPARKS is able to cope with emergencies with full confidence.
Watch the customer video by clicking here.
