Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya – Frontline conservationists face urgent challenges every day—protecting wildlife, supporting communities, and responding in real time to threats. To strengthen their work, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and EarthRanger are hosting an international workshop for practitioners, rangers, and researchers at Lewa from 21– 23 September 2025.
This gathering also marks an important milestone. Ten years ago, Lewa was the site of the very first EarthRanger workshop—an event that helped launch a new era of conservation technology and collaboration. Developed by Ai2 in partnership with Save the Elephants, African Parks, and others, EarthRanger is used by over 800 protected areas across the globe, giving conservationists both a bird’s-eye view of their landscapes and the real-time information to act on the ground.
The 2025 workshop also coincides with Lewa Wildlife Conservancy’s 30th anniversary, highlighting three decades of pioneering conservation work in Kenya. Together, Lewa and EarthRanger have been at the forefront of championing innovation, partnership, and technology that have transformed the way conservationists monitor ecosystems, safeguard endangered species, and work with communities to ensure long-term sustainability.
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About the Workshop
The 2025 workshop will bring together over 100 participants from across East Africa, the Middle East, and North America, including frontline rangers, conservation managers, technologists, and researchers. Across three days, attendees will engage in:
- Training sessions on the latest EarthRanger features, and new platforms like Ecoscope, along with integrations with emerging technologies, to accelerate the field.
- Case studies from protected areas that have successfully deployed EarthRanger to address poaching, human-wildlife conflict, and habitat loss.
- Knowledge sharing forums that foster collaboration between conservation sites, government agencies, and technology providers.
By combining practical training with peer-to-peer learning, the workshop is designed to equip practitioners with new skills while building a stronger regional network of conservation leaders.
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Conservation Impact
Both Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and EarthRanger have demonstrated measurable impact through innovation and collaboration:
- Lewa Wildlife Conservancy has grown from a private rhino sanctuary into a globally recognized conservation model, protecting more than 62,000 acres of critical habitat, supporting over 280 black and white rhinos, and working with neighbouring communities supporting over 60,000people through education, health, and livelihoods programs.
- EarthRanger is now deployed in over 800 conservation areas across more than 70 countries, with nationwide adoption in several, including Kenya, Mozambique, Uganda, Honduras, and the Bahamas. The platform helps safeguard species such as elephants, rhinos, pumas, and sea turtles by collecting, integrating, and displaying remote sensing data and field reports. With this bird’s-eye view and real-time information, thousands of rangers and conservationists can make more informed decisions to stay safe, protect wildlife, and support the communities that rely on healthy ecosystems.
Jes Lefcourt, Executive Director of EarthRanger, comments:
“EarthRanger was built hand-in-hand with conservation organizations, who worked closely with us to design technology that could meet their toughest challenges. From the very beginning, Lewa has been one of our strongest allies—our first partner gathering at Lewa is where the vision for EarthRanger truly came to life. That’s why it feels so meaningful to return here, as we celebrate EarthRanger’s 10th anniversary alongside Lewa’s 30th, bringing together over 100 conservationists from around the world to learn, share, and see how EarthRanger continues to support their work.”
Mike Watson, CEO of Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, reflected:
"Hosting this workshop at Lewa is both a celebration of how far conservation technology has come and a reaffirmation of our commitment to innovation and collaboration. Over the past decade, the EarthRanger platform has transformed the way we protect wildlife and support communities through technology, becoming a vital tool for conservation. Today, it is inspiring to see hundreds of practitioners across the region harnessing these innovations to safeguard Africa’s natural heritage. Our focus now is on expanding technological capacity and advancing innovative solutions to secure a future where people and wildlife thrive together."
The two-day event will bring together leading conservationists, field rangers, researchers, and technologists from across Africa and beyond, offering a platform to share experiences, build skills, and collaborate on the future of conservation technology.
Lewa Wildlife Conservancy: Lewa Wildlife Conservancy is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a global model for community-centered conservation. For 30 years, Lewa has safeguarded endangered species, empowered neighbouring communities, and served as a hub for conservation leadership in Kenya and across Africa.
EarthRanger: EarthRanger, developed by Ai2 (Allen Institute for AI), is a software solution that collects, integrates, and displays data from a wide variety of monitoring technologies. It enables conservationists to see, understand, and act in real time to protect wildlife and habitats around the world.