The wonderworld of the Okavango Delta is celebrated for its abundance of wildlife. But for communities living in its far reaches, wildlife interactions often come at a cost.
In remote settlements like Tsutsubega and Gogomoga, sharing the landscape with wildlife is part of daily life, but coexistence is rarely simple.
For these communities, this landscape is home. It is where they farm and raise livestock. It is also an environment where wildlife moves freely. Coexistence begins with understanding the rhythms of the animals that share this space, from sunrise to sunrise. Wild Impact’s Community and Conservation Rangers use camera traps to capture these unseen moments: 43 755 images since the start of the project in 2024.
This body of knowledge is building a deeper understanding, helping communities and conservation teams recognise patterns of animal movement and shape ways for people and wildlife to share the same landscape. Image by image, piece by piece, the value of this collection is shaping a new story of connection.
2026 marked a milestone moment for this programme when selected imagery contributed to the development of integrated mammal identification technology within SWAROVSKI OPTIK’s AX Visio binoculars. In recognition of this contribution, SWAROVSKI OPTIK has directly supported the ‘Harmony with Wildlife‘ initiative.
This value exchange has not only enabled the expansion of camera-trap monitoring in the Okavango Delta, building the momentum of this initiative, but has also extended the reach of conservation-generated knowledge beyond the Okavango Delta.
Guests staying at the newly refurbished &Beyond Phinda Vlei Lodge will have the opportunity to experience these smart binoculars first-hand as part of the growing cycle of discovery, partnership and conservation.
&Beyond and our key impact partner, Wild Impact, work hand in hand to scale support for the landscapes and communities we touch.
Together, we work not for communities, but with them – identifying opportunities, strengthening resilience and investing in leadership.
Every guest journey helps protect a place that cannot be replaced. Impact at scale. For the future.
