Elephant-Human Relations Aid (EHRA) Namibia has helped build peaceful relationships between free-roaming desert elephants and local communities in Namibia, Africa since 2003. Conflict exists due to shared land, resources and an ongoing drought in the region, which leaves communities and animals without much food or water.
Elephant-Human Relations Aid (EHRA) applies a holistic approach to elephant conservation in northwest Namibia.
The PEACE Project brings elephant-focused conservation education to communities in Namibia’s Kunene and Erongo regions. By combining local outreach with the Elephant Alert System, which tracks and shares real-time elephant movements, the project helps reduce conflict and fosters understanding between people and elephants.
SEED (Sustainable Environmental Education for Development) inspires young Namibians from rural schools to protect their environment. Through eco-clubs and outdoor-based programs, the project teaches environmental awareness, conservation, and sustainability, empowering students to become the next generation of environmental stewards.
Join EHRA’s field-based volunteer project and make a real impact for Namibia’s desert elephants. Volunteers build water point protection walls, track elephant movements, and support local communities, all camping under the stars, cooking over the fire and embracing Namibia’s unique wilderness.
EHRA’s Family Volunteer Project offers an unforgettable adventure where families work together on conservation and community school projects. Designed for families seeking safe adventure with purpose, this project combines cultural exchange, education and conservation in one unforgettable experience.
EHRA’s research projects include elephant movement and ID work, and we collaborate with key research institutions with the core objective to protect Namibia’s desert-adapted elephants long-term. For two decades, EHRA has gathered crucial data that guides sustainable conservation efforts and promotes peaceful coexistence.
EHRA tackles human-elephant conflict through practical, community-driven solutions, such as protecting water points and vegetable gardens, installing solar pumps and elephant dams, adding motion-sensor lights and supporting education. These efforts create safer communities and ensure elephants can thrive alongside people.
The Community Elephant Guard Program employs local individuals to respond to elephant-related emergencies. The Guards monitor elephant movement, share updates through the Elephant Alert System, and help communities manage conflict, strengthening coexistence from the ground up.
Elephant Human Relations Aid (EHRA) is a Namibian NGO dedicated to conserving free-roaming elephants and promoting peaceful coexistence between people and their elephants.
Our mission is to implement practical, community-based solutions that reduce human-elephant conflict and secure a future for Namibia’s desert elephants. We do this through education, research, and on-the-ground conservation by protecting vulnerable community properties, supporting rural schools, and monitoring the resident elephant populations.
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Join a field-based elephant conservation project in one of the most remote and striking landscapes on Earth. EHRA is among the few organisations working to reduce human-elephant conflict in Namibia’s northwest, where desert elephants and people share the same land.
These elephants are tough, resilient, and truly wild, thriving in a place of extraordinary beauty. As a volunteer, you’ll help protect both elephants and communities while experiencing the desert at its best: working hard, engaging with local communities, sleeping under the stars, and learning about life in the wild desert.
Updates, insights and stories from those living and working alongside Namibia’s desert elephants.
From a boneless trunk with tens of thousands of muscles to feet that can “hear” rumbles through the ground, elephants are engineering marvels. Discover how elephant anatomy works, including their ears, tusks, skin and reproductive system, and how Namibia’s desert-adapted elephants use it to survive one of Earth’s harshest landscapes.
Namibia’s desert-dwelling elephants survive in one of the harshest environments on Earth. Their remarkable knowledge of water, food and ancient routes allows them to navigate the vast, arid landscapes of north-western Namibia.
After disappearing from the Ugab River for around two decades, elephants began returning in the late 1990s. At the centre of their return was a bull named Voortrekker, whose journey south marked a new chapter for elephants and the people sharing this landscape.
Elephant Education Centre
Discover Namibia’s desert elephants and the people who share their land. The Elephant Education Centre offers guided tours that teach visitors about elephant behaviour and EHRA’s conservation efforts.
Eco-Campsite
Stay close to nature at EHRA’s legendary Base Camp in the Tsaurab Valley. Set in a secluded treetop at the Ugab River, the camp offers a breathtaking view and a truly unique Namibian experience.
Glamping
For those seeking a little extra comfort, our new glamping experience offers fully equipped tents with soft duvets in EHRA’s Base Camp (all year) and Camp Maia (July-September only).
Each year, EHRA’s Annual Report provides an overview of our work, impact and the challenges shaping conservation in northwest Namibia. From human-elephant conflict mitigation and community partnerships to elephant monitoring, research and education, our reports offer a transparent look at the progress we’ve made and the lessons we’ve learnt along the way.
Explore our latest report and discover the stories behind the numbers.
