CONSERVATION MESSAGES FOR ELEPHANTS

Elephants, the majestic giants of our planet, play a vital role in maintaining the ecological balance of their habitats. Yet, they face numerous threats that continue to place them at risk of extinction. In this blog post, we explore the latest data on elephant conservation and highlight three key messages that underscore the importance of protecting these incredible creatures.

A beautiful scene photographed by Shannon Wild

DISAPPEARING ELEPHANT POPULATIONS

Elephants are one of the most well-loved wild species on our planet, captivating our hearts and the pages of our children’s story books. And yet, on our watch, they are disappearing from our planet, edging closer to extinction. How can we imagine a world in which wild elephants no longer exist?  

A mother elephant and her young calf. Photo by Chantelle Melzer.

But this diminished world is close at hand.  

In the 1920s there were estimated to be around 10 million elephants in Africa. In 1979, this had dropped to approximately 1.3 million African elephants, before plummeting further to fewer than 300,000 by the mid-1990s. Although conservation efforts helped to increase the population to over 470,000 in 2008, poaching rates surged again, causing a decline in recent years. The continent-wide Great Elephant Census in 2016, reported that only around 400,000 elephants remain in Africa. The two species of elephants in Africa, are now both officially closer to extinction: the African savanna elephant is now officially endangered and the African forest elephant is critically endangered. 

The major reasons that elephants are edging closer to extinction is both poaching for their ivory tusks, and habitat loss.

TO SAVE ELEPHANTS WE MUST PROTECT & CONNECT WILD SPACES 

While poaching is the headline issue for African elephants, they face a larger challenge (literally, as the largest land mammal on our planet). In our region, southern Africa, the key conservation challenge for African elephants is - simply- they are running out of wild space. Expanding human populations, agricultural developments, and infrastructure projects encroach on elephant territories, leading to fragmented habitats and increased human-elephant conflict. Wildlife reserves are fenced, and elephants are cut off from exploring their wider landscape, stopped from migrating and wandering in search of new horizons, new mates, water, and food. This poses challenges to the genetic diversity of elephants, their ecosystems, and their survival in a climate-changed future. 

Conservation efforts must prioritize securing and restoring these habitats. Initiatives like creating wildlife corridors and protected areas are vital in ensuring elephants have the space they need to thrive. Wild Tomorrow’s habitat protection program in KwaZulu-Natal South Africa, nicknamed ‘the elephant coast’, is focused on creating a wildlife corridor which will benefit elephants and all species that share their remaining wild spaces.

Poaching for Ivory, one of the many threats elephants face. Photo by Chantelle Melzer.

TO SAVE ELEPHANTS WE MUST COMBAT THE ILLEGAL IVORY TRADE  

Despite global efforts to curb the illegal ivory trade, poaching continues to threaten elephant populations. Strengthening anti-poaching laws, enhancing enforcement, and reducing demand for ivory through public awareness campaigns are crucial steps. Success stories show that coordinated anti-poaching efforts can yield significant results, highlighting the need for continued vigilance and international cooperation. 

In South Africa, Wild Tomorrow works to combat the illegal wildlife trade by equipping rangers in our region, to ensure they can defend elephants, rhinos, pangolins and all species in their reserves. We also help provide specialized training for anti-poaching rangers. This October, in partnership with Wildlife Defense, we will conduct “Wildlife CSI” training for 30 rangers in our region from 15 national wildlife reserves, to equip them with both the skills and equipment to collect vital forensic evidence at poaching crime scenes, needed to put poachers behind bars. This cooperative training program will bring US wildlife crime enforcement experts together with wildlife rangers, police and prosecutors, to work together to help protect elephants (and rhinos!) from poaching.

COEXISTANCE IS KEY TO ELEPHANT SURVIVAL 

We, humans, love to love elephants while they are simultaneously being forced closer to extinction due to our hunger for their ivory and our unceasing appetite for development (and our increasing populations). As their wild spaces shrink, this brings elephants closer and closer to conflict with their most dangerous neighbor – us!  

Human-elephant conflict arises when elephants encroach on human settlements in search of food and water, leading to crop damage and, occasionally, human fatalities. This is especially prevalent in unfenced areas where elephants roam freely. Innovative solutions, such as community-based conservation programs, can mitigate these conflicts. By involving local communities in conservation efforts and providing economic incentives that show it’s more valuable to protect elephants than to kill them, it is possible to foster a culture of coexistence where both humans and elephants benefit. Education and outreach programs are vital in teaching communities how to live harmoniously with elephants, ensuring their safety and the preservation of these majestic animals. 

An elephant in its natural habitat. Photo by Shannon Wild

A WILDER FUTURE FOR AFRICAN ELEPHANTS

A world without wild elephants would be one that is vastly diminished. The conservation of elephants is not just about saving a single species; it's about preserving the health and diversity of entire ecosystems. 

To save elephants and all wild things, we must stop the poaching, the decline, and the destruction of their habitats. But to have hope for their future, we must connect, restore and expand the wild spaces they have left. Elephant survival depends on these wild spaces – and therefore, they depend on us! 

To support our habitat conservation program, please consider donating today in honor of elephants and their families. 

Thank you to our 1% for the Planet Partner, Trendsplant, for supporting our habitat conservation program for elephants and all species.

References

IUCN Red List 
African Elephant Database 
Our World in Data 

Learn more about our wildlife corridor and how this connectivity will benefit African elephants here: SAVE SPACE FOR ELEPHANTS