Green Borders

In the drought-stricken outskirts of Livingstone, Zambia, local volunteers of the Elephant Response Team work nightly to avert deadly human–elephant encounters. Guided only by voices, flashlights and deep knowledge of elephant behavior, they defuse conflict, protect communities and forge a fragile path toward coexistence amid climate disruption.

Background

In Livingstone, Zambia, climate change is reshaping the fragile boundary between humans and wildlife. Years of prolonged drought and failed rainy seasons have dried water sources and depleted vegetation inside nearby protected areas, forcing elephants to move increasingly closer to towns and villages in search of food and water. At the same time, rapid population growth and urban expansion have pushed human settlements deeper into former wildlife corridors, intensifying daily encounters between people and elephants.

The result is a growing human–animal conflict that has become one of the region’s most urgent environmental and social challenges. Encounters are often unpredictable and sometimes deadly, causing fatalities, destruction of homes and crops, and rising tensions within local communities.

At the center of the story is Livingstone’s Elephant Response Team, a group of local rangers and volunteers who work to prevent violence between humans and elephants. During the day, they collaborate with schools and residents to promote safer behavior and reduce hostility toward the animals. At night, they patrol the city’s outskirts using flashlights, vehicles, radios, and their knowledge of elephant behavior to guide herds away from homes and back toward the national park.

Through intimate access to the team’s daily work, the film explores how climate change is transforming both ecosystems and human lives, revealing a new frontline where conservation, survival, and coexistence are constantly negotiated.