Setting up a network of camera traps in the thick jungles of Gabon isn’t easy. Reaching the cameras just to gather SD cards and replace batteries can take days of trekking in the humid, harsh and hazardous terrain of these forests. There’s the threat of contracting malaria or an injury, with no easy access to hospitals. And there's also the risk of stumbling across poachers and wildlife like elephants and gorillas. That’s why Okala, a company leveraging tech for land management, have been developing smart camera traps and testing them out in a forest concession not far from Gabon’s capital.
