Powering coexistence: how Raspberry Pi technology is helping WWF protect wildlife and communities in Pakistan
Publish Date: 2026-05-15 07:03:00
Source Domain: www.raspberrypi.com
WWF-Pakistan recently got in touch to tell us about the work they and the Lahore University of Management Sciences have been doing to mitigate human–wildlife conflict in the Gilgit-Baltistan mountains. Using Raspberry Pi 4 to power a specially trained AI detection and alert algorithm, the team is helping local communities protect their livestock without damaging the region’s ecosystem.
High in the snow-clad mountains of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, life is defined by extremes. Bare, rocky ridges stretch across a harsh landscape where communities depend heavily on livestock for survival. In this same terrain lives one of the world’s most elusive predators — the snow leopard.
For local communities, the snow leopard is both a symbol of pride and a source of risk. As natural prey declines and habitats shift under the pressures of climate change and expanding human settlement, livestock depredation has become the primary driver of human–wildlife conflict. In a single predation event, as many as 60–70 animals can be lost — a devastating economic blow for families whose livelihoods depend on their herds.
To address this escalating challenge, WWF-Pakistan partnered with the National Center of Robotics and Automation at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) to develop and deploy an AI-powered Predator Early Warning System. At the heart of this innovation lies Raspberry Pi 4.
Conservation at the edge
Since 2022, solar-powered camera traps built around Raspberry Pi 4 single-board computers have been strategically installed in high-risk zones near human settlements. Well adapted for remote, high-altitude environments, the system combines durability with intelligent edge processing.
Each unit captures images of passing wildlife and transmits real-time data to a central monitoring platform through the local 4G network. A trained AI algorithm analyses incoming images to detect the presence of snow leopards…
