Save the Elephants has been lacking a vegetation map for our core area in Samburu. Dr. Jelle Ferwerda brings us new expertise in the field of hyperspectral analysis of data on satellite images. The SEARS project (Spatial Economics and Remote Sensing of Elephant Resources) is based out of Fritz Vollrath’s Oxford Elephant Group, and supported by the EU Transfer of Knowledge Programme.

There is a large variation in vegetation quality between plants of the same species in different locations, and different plant species in the same location. Elephants need to migrate in order to meet their nutritional needs; thus, in order to fully understand the migration patterns of elephants, we need to know the distribution of individual species of vegetation as well as their size and nutritional value.

Our SEARS project aims at creating a set of spatial layers that will help to understand the migration patterns, as recorded in the STE tracking program. Information layers that are envisioned are vegetation types, tree species distribution, tree-size, moisture content, and chemical composition. Some of these will be stable through time, while others will vary with the change of season or from year to year. To create these information layers, a combination of field-sampling, remote sensing and spatio-temporal interpolation is being used.

The final objective of this project is to develop a framework with which to analyze tracking data in relation to spatial information layers. This will enable us to interpret elephant migration patterns from an energy perspective, and help us understand why elephants migrate according to specific corridors and between specific regions. The SEARS project is run by Jelle Ferwerda, assisted by Paul Lochuragi.