Born at Swakopmund and raised between the coast and Windhoek, Michelle Rodgers has always gravitated toward Namibia’s wild spaces.
Her early curiosity about how ecosystems function eventually led her to pursue a master’s degree in natural resource management (wildlife ecology) at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust).
Now a park warden at the Gondwana Canyon Park, five years into her conservation career, that passion has taken her from the Namib Desert to the global stage, representing Namibia at the recent Applied Conservation Technology Congress (ACT Con 2025) in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Hosted by the Smart Partnership, EarthRanger, and Save Vietnam’s Wildlife, ACT Con 2025 brought together 458 participants from 77 countries and 252 organisations, all exploring how technology can drive real impact in conservation.
THE FUTURE OF CONSERVATION TECH
The congress opened with a speech that immediately caught Rodgers’ attention: the announcement of Serca – the Smart- EarthRanger Conservation Alliance.
Delivered by EarthRanger director Jef Lefcourt and Smart steering committee chair Rich Bergl, the keynote outlined how the two leading global platforms will merge into one integrated system over the next 18 to 24 months.
For teams like Gondwana’s, this is transformative.
“Being able to use the best of both platforms in a single system is extremely exciting,” Rodgers says.
The speech highlighted powerful statistics reflecting EarthRanger’s growth and global impact over the past decade – reinforcing why its adoption in Namibia is a critical step forward.
Rodgers gravitated towards the EarthRanger-focused sessions, particularly those demonstrating practical applications already working in other regions:
• Human-elephant conflict response modelling using EarthRanger data and Ecoscope (Lydia Tiller, Elephant Trust).
• A full session on camera trapping, featuring innovative tools like TrapTagger, which integrates with EarthRanger to help
teams process and manage camera data far more efficiently.
Rodgers plans to explore its use within the Gondwana Conservation Parks.
Another standout moment came from a speech by Game Rangers Association of Africa chief executive Louise de Bruin.
Her message centred on the immense commitment and daily risks faced by rangers across the continent.
“This has touched me deeply,” Rodgers says.
“We have incredibly dedicated rangers in our parks too. Without them, our wildlife, our roads, our landscapes – everything we protect – would be at risk.”
Beyond platforms and software, the ACT Con exposed Rodgers to a wide range of emerging tools reshaping conservation worldwide, including drones for security surveillance, infrared wildlife counts, and vegetation mapping; acoustic devices for species detection; data loggers acting as compact mini weather stations; and artificial intelligence-powered software for creating management dashboards and analysing ecological data.
Each session offered new possibilities for what Gondwana could apply across its parks and operations.
WHY THIS MATTERS
Rodgers returns not only with knowledge, but with clear ideas on how to strengthen conservation work within Gondwana parks and beyond.
The ideas are as follows:
• Improved EarthRanger implementation for real-time wildlife and security monitoring.
• More efficient data collection to support ecological research, sustainability projects, and park management decisions.
• Enhanced ranger safety and coordination, using digital patrol tracking and integrated reporting.
• Better guest education, using real-time conservation information to deepen understanding and support for protection efforts.
• Capacity building, by sharing lessons from ACT Con with Namibian conservation partners.
But perhaps most valuable were the connections she forged – meeting conservationists from around the world and showcasing Gondwana’s commitment to environmental stewardship.
“I promoted Gondwana every time someone asked about my organisation,” she says.
“People were genuinely impressed by how seriously we take conservation.”
Reflecting on the experience, Rodgers calls ACT Con 2025 “an incredible opportunity that broadened my knowledge, sparked new project ideas, and reaffirmed the importance of ranger well-being and technological innovation”.
She returns with renewed energy, new tools, and a global network – ready to help shape the future of conservation in Namibia.
“I am super grateful to Gondwana for the opportunity,” she says.
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