NAIROBI, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Experts convened in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, on Tuesday for a five-day forum aimed at strengthening the use of emerging technologies such as drones to promote wildlife conservation and ecosystem restoration.
The Global Conservation Tech and Drone Forum 2026 brought together more than 200 conservationists, technologists, and community leaders from around the world to explore how innovation can help protect wildlife, support livelihoods, and restore degraded ecosystems.
Erustus Kanga, director general of the Kenya Wildlife Service, said that the integration of advanced technologies into conservation strategies is key to tackling rising threats such as poaching, habitat loss, and climate change.
"Technology is the way forward for Kenya to conserve wildlife, protect biodiversity, enforce laws, and safeguard marine ecosystems," Kanga said.
He said that traditional methods alone can no longer tackle sophisticated wildlife crime, climate change, and intensifying human-wildlife conflict.
Jonathan Slater, co-chairman of the African Drone Forum, urged wildlife stakeholders to pivot decisively to technology-driven operations.
Slater said that drones, sensor networks, sound monitoring, and real-time data platforms can transform raw field intelligence into predictive tools to protect endangered wildlife species. ■
