Kalahari Wild, a 12 000 hectare farm situated in Grootfontein in the Northern Cape, has deployed satellite technology to help conserve some of SA's wildlife - the roan antelope.
Although not yet listed as an endangered species, roan antelope numbers have drastically reduced across Africa in recent years. Just 60% of these animals are estimated to live in protected areas, and without urgent action they may face extinction, says Jacques van der Merwe, co-owner of Kalahari Wild.
Using a combination of traditional farming skills and satellite technology, conservationists are able to offer the roan a lifeline, he adds.
The farm runs the Scarce Game Breeding Programme and recently introduced the roan antelope to this plan. This initiative requires a dedicated team on the ground to ensure the animals' well-being at all times.
The farm is situated in a remote and arid part of the country. Fifty staff manage it and track the roan daily by horseback to record their location and physical data. They take photos and carry out regular health checks. The staff migrate the animals across the farm throughout the year to get maximum value out of the limited rainfall and allow for the soil to recover from the damage caused by grazing.
It is managed remotely by the Van der Merwe family who are situated 1 200km away. The family relies on data shared via a central database which is used to analyse trends and plot progress.
Although the right processes have been put in place to enable this to happen daily, the farm has traditionally experienced a challenge with the telecommunications infrastructure needed to send the data and access the data centre.
"Mobile coverage in the area is not great. There are no masts and, as the population is so sparse, it doesn't make economic sense for providers to erect masts. Although we've typically relied on the fixed lines in the area, these tend to be problematic as cables are stolen frequently and it's very expensive to replace," says Van der Merwe.
Using satellite technology, he says, "I can check on the roan data at any time, talk to the team on the ground, access the latest pictures and compare the tracking data."
Looking forward, Van der Merwe aims to build a number of tourist retreats on the farm, allowing guests to stay and track the roan and other wildlife.
"We'll need extra bandwidth for this, which is no problem with additional equipment, and we're also planning to put in more sophisticated surveillance system to help control and monitor the animals that will helpfully benefit the whole industry."
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