A comprehensive study which analyzed 50 year’s worth of data has revealed a dramatic decline in Africa’s elephant populations.
According to African Travel & Tourism Association, researchers compiled data from 1,325 surveys.
Picture: Sourced
The data showed that savanna elephant numbers fell by 70%, and forest elephant populations declined by over 90% between the years 1964 and 2016.
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Although some elephant populations have remained stable or increased (particularly in Botswana and Zimbabwe), the study revealed that other regions have suffered severe losses due to poaching and habitat destruction. These regions include northern sub-Saharan Africa and parts of East and Central Africa.
According to The Conversation, the past 50 years have also presented a shift in distribution of elephants across Africa.
The study shows that maintaining current elephant numbers, let alone reversing declines, requires new thinking and conservation innovation. It underscores the urgency and importance of reversing these declines.
Additionally, it beckons stronger public-private partnerships in protected area management, local community involvement in conservation, as well as intensified efforts to combat ivory poaching.
With the pressure on Africa’s wildlands set to increase due to human population growth, experts have emphasized the need for new efforts to stop the decline of elephant populations.
Moreover, the need for immediate action has been highlighted in order to safeguard remaining elephant populations and to restore lost habitats.
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