Inside Foreign Governments’ Roles in Militarizing Wildlife Conservation

Artificial intelligence, drones, private military contractors, satellite surveillance.

These all sound like the weapons of war in the 21st century—and they are. However, they have also increasingly become the arsenal used in the fight against wildlife crimes worldwide, including in East and Southern Africa—both among the world's most important biodiversity hotspots.

This strategy has received backing from the United States and a number of European countries, who provide the weapons, training, and finances used to sustain it. However, critics say that authorities in Uganda and South Africa tend to use indiscriminate force and lethal methods when engaging with poachers, leading to extrajudicial deaths and other illegalities.

Benon Herbert Oluka and Sam Schramski investigate the impact of this strategy in Uganda and South Africa, the two countries where it was touted as a game changer. Their investigation looks into cases of (mis)management of funds, human rights abuses, and the infringement on the rights to privacy of the communities neighboring the national parks.