Vietnam Rangers Cut Poaching With Cameras and GPS Tech

Rangers in Vietnam's Pu Mat National Park are watching wildlife return to forests that poachers once emptied.

The turnaround started in 2018 when Save Vietnam's Wildlife partnered with the park to create a specialized antipoaching unit. Before that, just 70 forest rangers were trying to monitor more than 1,300 acres of rugged terrain each, armed only with handwritten notes to track illegal activity.

Now the team uses GPS-enabled smartphones running SMART software to map patrol routes, record wildlife sightings, and mark exactly where they find wire snares. The data helps them identify poaching hotspots and plan smarter patrols.

They also installed "PoacherCams" at strategic spots like forest entry points and ridge crossings. The cameras monitor who's moving through the forest and catch potential illegal activity in real time.

In one case, a camera captured footage of a man entering the forest with a gun. After rangers spoke with him about the legal consequences, he voluntarily handed over his hunting weapon.

The Ripple Effect

The changes are already visible on the ground. Rangers are finding fewer snares throughout the park, and wildlife is coming back to previously hunted areas.

The team has spotted wild pig nests, otters, and pangolin activity in places that once saw heavy hunting pressure. Independent camera trap surveys have even documented rare species like clouded leopards and Owston's civets living in the landscape.

The technology isn't perfect. High humidity, rugged terrain, and limited connectivity can challenge electronic equipment in the dense forest. APU coordinator Huu Trung Nguyen emphasizes that artificial intelligence should support human decision-making, not replace the rangers' expertise and judgment.

The unit is expanding its work beyond enforcement. They're launching community outreach programs and a mobile nature center to reduce demand for illegally sourced wildlife in the first place.

For many rangers who grew up near the park, the mission feels personal. "The most encouraging moments are when we begin to see signs of wildlife returning to places that were once heavily hunted," said Van Nam Luong, head of the antipoaching unit.