The future of African elephants looks bleak. These animals occur in West Africa and Congo and are included in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) revised Red List of Threatened Species.
Conservationists warn that the threat comes from poaching and habitat loss. Both are man-made. Poachers kill them for their tusks, and people cut down forests in the name of development without regard to the environment. The latter disturbs the ecological balance of the region.
To save elephants, we need to review our priorities.
The IUCN has also placed savannah elephants on the list of endangered species. This species is the forest elephant. It is the largest land animal. The fate of Africa’s elephant population is a matter of concern. This is due to the decline in their population in recent decades.
According to Sky News, the forest elephant population has declined by nearly 86% over the past three decades. As for the artisanal elephant, the decline over the last half century is almost 60%. Since 2008 there has been a sharp decline. This coincided with an increase in poaching. They killed the pachyderms for their ivory, which had a ready market in the world.
Protective measures may help the elephant
The international trade in ivory was banned in 1989.
However, the threat to elephants remains. It reached its peak in 2011. In December 2016, China dealt a fatal blow to elephant poaching by ending the ivory trade.
According to Sky News, the number of elephants in Africa could reach 415,000. In some places, like. B. Rates have stabilised in Gabon and the Republic of Congo.
IUCN attributes this result to conservation efforts.
The number of forest elephants is more or less stable or increasing. This is the situation in countries such as Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. In May 2019, Botswana lifted its ban on elephant hunting, sparking international outrage.
Reversal of trend in loss of elephants
According to Dr Bruno Oberle, Director General of IUCN, African elephants play a vital role in ecosystems, economies and our collective imagination around the world.
Sky News mentions that he stressed the importance of preserving the habitat of forest and savannah elephants.
He added that some African countries have shown that it is possible to reverse the decline of elephants. In May 2017, the media announced that the African elephant was an endangered species.
Africa is usually associated with elephant safaris, where people come from far and wide to ride an elephant and see the wildlife closer to home. This could be the story if there were no elephants.
The elephant can be saved
According to ABC News, the IUCN has classified both the African forest elephant and the African savanna elephant as endangered.
They were previously on the red list of endangered species. But they clearly have different habits. The first live in the tropical forests of Central Africa.
They thrive in the open areas of sub-Saharan Africa. This is because there are many grasslands and deserts.
Both species are important to the ecology in which they live. An expert on African elephants explains that they are important to the environment because they play a vital role.
Appropriate measures can stabilise the decline in the population. This may be related to anti-poaching measures, legislation and proposed land use. Such measures will help to establish a balance between humans and animals. They must coexist.
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frequently asked questions
Why are African elephants threatened with extinction?
Poaching for the illegal ivory trade is the biggest threat to the survival of African elephants. … Between 1970 and 1990, the African elephant was threatened by hunting and poaching, which reduced the population by half.
Why are elephants threatened with extinction?
The biggest threat to the African elephant today is wildlife crime, particularly poaching for the illegal ivory trade, while the biggest threat to the Asian elephant is habitat loss, leading to human-elephant conflict.
Are elephants on the verge of extinction?
Elephant populations have declined by 62% over the past decade and could be largely extinct by the end of the next decade. It is estimated that poachers kill 100 African elephants every day in search of ivory, meat and body parts, leaving only 400,000 left.
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