selected projects,
plainly stated.

The Chacma Baboon Project

Across Limpopo, South Africa, people and baboons share the same land. The Chacma Baboon Project works with communities, farmers, conservationists, and students to build coexistence that lasts.

The project uses field research, community-led solutions, and education to reduce human–baboon conflict while strengthening local capacity for conservation. By bringing together local communities, researchers, and future conservation practitioners, it aims to protect baboons and foster practical, long-term coexistence between people and wildlife.

Savena provides GIS and remote-sensing support to help estimate baboon population sizes across Limpopo, South Africa.

Just as important is who carries the work forward. At the University of Venda, we designed and led a multi-day workshop on remote sensing and GIS for bachelor's, master's, and PhD students, equipping the next generation of conservation scientists with practical spatial analysis skills.

Boat tourism and jaguar behaviour

Ecotourism forms a large part of the Pantanal's jaguar protection, but how the boats themselves affect jaguars has received little attention. This study offers an early quantitative estimate of that impact.

Together with the Wild Felid Conservation Trust and the Jaguar ID Project, we are conducting a study in the northern Pantanal to quantify the impact of boat tourism on short-term jaguar behaviour.

Landscape connectivity for biodiversity conservation

South Africa's Addo Elephant National Park, Baviaanskloof Mega-Reserve, and Garden Route National Park could once again form one living landscape. This study maps the corridors that could connect them, supporting the work of the Eden to Addo Corridor Initiative.

The work was carried out through a multidisciplinary collaboration with the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research, the Eden to Addo Corridor Initiative, and the Wildlife Free to Roam initiative (Stellenbosch University).

The study was published in Biodiversity and Conservation (2025), and its findings were also highlighted by Africa Geographic for a wider conservation audience.