How the MacBook Pro M1 is helping to win the fight for conservation in an Eastern Cape wildlife sanctuary

Not too far from the steeples and clock towers of Makhanda in the Eastern Cape, the Great Fish River snakes its way through the valley, cutting in two a landscape of lush, rolling hills where the creatures of the wild are at home.

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For Craig Sholto-Douglas, the reserve’s environmental manager, Kwandwe is a place that stirs the soul, bringing hope of transformation and revival that can equally benefit the communities of the region.

But Kwandwe’s success story is also proof of the power of technology in the frontline of ecotourism and wildlife conservation.

Every day, when Craig heads out from his office at the reserve, he takes with him a device that has proved indispensable in his quest to gather data and process information. An M1 MacBook Pro.

“It’s been a real revelation for us,” says Craig. Even in the outdoor glare, the MacBook Pro’s dazzling Retina screen makes it easy to view high-definition images and drone footage, while the machine’s raw processing power, thanks to its breakthrough M1 silicon chip, allows Craig to track game movement on the most demanding mapping software.

“We’re continuously getting information from our drones and from our camera traps, and sometimes we don’t have the time to get back to the office and process those images,” says Craig. “We need to know straight away what’s going on, so having a built-in SD card is really useful, and we use that on almost a daily basis when monitoring.”

But it’s the MacBook Pro’s all-day battery life that has really opened Craig’s eyes to the versatility and utility of the machine in the wild.

“It’s a really hardy device,” he says, “so it’s really given us a lot more efficiency to the way we operate.”

On the move for hours across rugged terrain, Craig has come to rely on his MacBook Pro M1 as a valuable ally in the relentless campaign to restore a long-damaged ecosystem to its natural glory.

“To live and work in this environment is something that’s special,” he says. “Being able to spend hours in the bush, hands-on, working with wildlife and vegetation, and trying my best to make a difference, that can be really rewarding.”

For more information on the M1 range of MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros, please visit https://www.istore.co.za/discover-mac