The province of Mendoza has what we currently consider to be the most wildlife-friendly guanaco-shearing project that has been underway for ten years. Due to the type of management carried out in La Payunia, there is the possibility that the products can be certified Wildlife Friendly. The Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network (WFEN) is a global community dedicated to developing and marketing products that conserve endangered wildlife while contributing to the economic vitality of rural communities. The Network sets the global standard for selling "green" products and helps members reach new and dynamic markets. WFEN's Mission is to protect wildlife in the wild by certifying businesses that ensure that people and nature coexist and thrive. WFEN certification will seek to promote wildlife conservation by facilitating responsible production practices, business development, education, and branding. It will also seek to access new and dynamic markets and achieve a fair price for wildlife-friendly products.

Work with different actors at the local, national, and international levels, to contribute to the design of a fiber value chain that can trigger the activity. The work will consist of the identification of key public and private actors in order to provide tools for the commercialization of the product. The activities that will be developed in this stage of the project include meetings with the textile sector, application authorities, and various important local actors in this area.

The annual shearing of guanacos by the Payún Matrú Cooperative is being closely supervised by the Mendoza Department of Renewable Natural Resources to ensure that the potential economic income provided by guanaco wool is feasible and sustainable. At the same time, Cooperative members understand that by making "good practices" they receive "good benefits". CONICET has tested and developed methods for minimizing the stress of individual guanacos during capture and handling, that reduce negative impacts at the population level.  Our knowledge of ecological, physiological, and behavioral processes that "constrain" these camelids in La Payunia, based on more than 10 years of study, put us in a unique position for advising and teaching the cooperative and government stakeholders how to minimize impacts of live shearing on this population. We will continue training members of Payún Matrú Cooperative in "good practices" to make capture and shearing of wild guanacos within Wildlife Friendly Actions. The following activities will be carried out at this stage:

Early warning messages are primarily distributed through channels such as the early warning app, intelligent broadcasting, phone calls, and SMS. Among these, the early warning app is the most widely used method, covering the largest population. Monitoring personnel can also share messages from the app to WeChat groups or personal networks, enabling multiple rounds of dissemination and further extending the reach of early warnings. Expanding the user base of the early warning app is therefore critical. To maximize coverage among residents in elephant-affected areas, the monitoring teams have conducted in-village promotional campaigns to encourage app adoption. As of now, the early warning app has been downloaded by 246,661 users.

All monitoring data collected by drones and infrared cameras is transmitted in real time to the early warning platform via a network connection. The system automatically matches location data and generates early warning messages. These warnings are delivered to end-users through both broad-based channels (mobile apps, WeChat) and precise channels (SMS, phone calls), ensuring community residents receive timely alerts and can take appropriate actions. To date, the platform has issued over 130,000 early warnings.

The infrared camera system transmits a large volume of triggered photos daily, including images of other animals or humans. By leveraging artificial intelligence, the system has been trained to effectively recognize and filter out non-elephant images, achieving an identification accuracy of over 99%. Even partial images or shadows can be accurately identified. The backend system completes the process of issuing early warnings within 13 to 15 seconds through a fully automated workflow, significantly reducing manual intervention and enhancing the intelligence and automation of Asian elephant management. To date, the system has captured over 3 million images and automatically identified and issued 12,285 early warnings.

1.  Drone Monitoring and Early Warning:According to the ‘one herd, one policy’ conservation approach: since 2017, the project has started to equip each herd or single elephant active outside the protected area with a full-time monitoring team, each team is equipped with a drone for round-the-clock monitoring, and there are currently more than 70 members in the monitoring team. All monitors have received professional learning and training, mastered drone operation and monitoring skills, and are able to quickly locate Asian elephants.
2. Infrared Camera Monitoring and Early Warning:To improve drone monitoring, we have customised an infrared camera system to ensure 24-hour monitoring. 600 infrared cameras with real-time data transmission, 21 video cameras and 177 intelligent broadcasting devices have been installed in critical areas, including traffic routes, elephant corridors and villages.

Effective monitoring relies on the establishment of specialized teams with clear roles and close coordination. This project established dedicated drone monitoring teams to meet the “one herd, one strategy” requirement based on the distribution of Asian elephants. Additionally, village-level monitoring teams were formed in elephant-distribution townships. The drone teams focus on accurately collecting real-time elephant activity data, while the village monitoring teams provide reliable on-the-ground information. This dual approach of “tracking elephants in real-time” and “localized monitoring” ensures efficient coordination and precision. Together, these efforts enable drone monitoring to cover over 95% of the Asian elephant population (the remaining 5% resides within protected areas).
In areas where drone flights are challenging, infrared cameras are deployed to provide around-the-clock monitoring. The integration of aerial and ground-based technologies creates a highly efficient and precise monitoring and early warning system, overcoming challenges related to nighttime and forested area monitoring.

A network of fishermen who are using the SIREN mobile app

Developing different dissemination methods strengthens communication within the interface of research, policy, and practice. While a study's core findings may remain consistent, the way these results are shared must be tailored to suit the specific needs, preferences, and capacities of different stakeholders. This approach ensures that the information is not only accessible but also impactful, empowering stakeholders to make informed decisions or take appropriate action.

 For example, within the context of accompanying research in FLR implementation, the way results are communicated to implementers and policymakers differs from the approach used for academic audiences. Policymakers and implementers often operate in fast-paced environments where they require clear, concise, and actionable information. Policymakers and implementers benefit most from concise, straightforward communication that highlights actionable insights, often set apart from the detailed and structured format of scientific articles. 

By recognizing and adapting to these differences, our project as accompanying research bridges the gaps between evidence generation and practical application, fostering stronger connections and more meaningful collaborations between the worlds of science, policy, and practice.