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Africa’s Decreasing Elephant Population

Africa’s Decreasing Elephant Population: Country-by-Country Analysis

For many years, the elephant has been a symbol of African nature. One of the main reasons people go on an African safari is frequently to see one in the wild. Will it survive for many more years, though?

We are really concerned about the future of Africa’s elephant population because we are the biggest internet marketplace for African safaris. We therefore made the decision to analyze the elephant populations.

Our analysis draws attention to variations in population sizes as well as management challenges unique to each nation. We can begin to create a picture of the current state of the African elephant and search for reasons for any shifts in population levels by looking at the number of elephants in these nations and any changes in recent years.

Elephants in Africa

The data in this article that has been converted into graphs reflects the following country-by-country analysis. The ten primary safari nations in sub-Saharan Africa are highlighted, and the overall decline or growth of elephant populations as well as the quantity of illegally recovered elephant carcasses—which serve as proof of poaching—are examined.

While illegal carcass records first started in 2002, elephant population figures are represented from 1995 to 2015. Based on the available statistics, the total number of elephants increased by 62% between 1995 and 2007. The total number of elephants in the ten nations under consideration increased from slightly less than 300,000 to 485,000.

Elephant populations increased significantly in every country with the exception of Zambia and Malawi, where populations declined. For instance, Tanzania experienced a 59% increase to 136,753 reported elephants, while Botswana had a startling 116% increase to 154,658. For both people and wildlife, the 1992 conclusion of Mozambique’s civil conflict was a blessing.

During this time, its elephant population increased from 825 to 16,475 individuals. Elephant numbers nearly doubled in South Africa and Namibia, and there were substantial increases in Kenya, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.Africa's Decreasing Elephant Population

The primary reason for the decrease is poaching.

Poaching is the primary cause of the decline in African elephant populations, according to experts from the Great Elephant Census. Other contributing causes include habitat loss and human-elephant conflict. The study concluded that poaching for ivory is most likely to blame for the sharp drops in elephant populations.

“…there has been an upsurge in poaching and illegal ivory trafficking in recent years, driven by increasing demand in Asia,” the World Wildlife Fund agrees, highlighting the significance of the demand for ivory in Asian markets as a major factor in the rise in poaching levels.

The demand for ivory in Asia, particularly in China and Vietnam, is what fuels poaching. However, in a recent, encouraging move, China declared that it would outlaw the ivory trade by the end of 2017. This could force the ivory trade onto the illegal market, but it would also shut off the biggest market in the world. Time will tell.

A year prior to the publication of the Census results, CITES declared that poaching was the primary issue facing elephant populations: “The overall poaching trends in 2015 showed the Africa-wide elephant populations still in decline, indicating that poaching levels continue to pose an immediate risk to the survival of African elephants.”

Country-specific characteristics that affect poaching

Elephant population declines differ significantly between nations. Therefore, it stands to reason that the extent of poaching likewise differs greatly between nations.

The following variables affect the extent of poaching in different nations:

Anti-poaching capabilities: Depending on the professionalism and expertise of rangers and anti-poaching groups, a country’s ability to combat poaching varies significantly. The type of training and equipment they receive, their level of motivation, and their pay can all have an impact. These in turn are impacted by politics (see later), namely the degree of political will to combat poaching, and by economics (see later).

One significant factor that varies throughout nations is border vulnerability. While some nations, like Swaziland, have modest, well-defended borders, others, like Tanzania, have wide, unsecured frontiers that are much harder to manage. Or consider South Africa, which has a long, porous border with Mozambique along the edge of Kruger National Park, which is extremely susceptible to poacher infiltration despite having usually strong border security.

Corruption: corruption is always a possibility when there is money to be made. The illegal ivory trade has the potential to create personal fortunes for those in authority and others who have access to ivory. For instance, rangers and other park workers are typically morally upright individuals who would never think about killing an animal they are hired to protect. But in the past, people have been accused of conspiring with poachers.

Economics: Because they can afford it, certain African nations are better able to care for their wildlife populations and take an active role in conservation. Not everyone is as lucky. This is especially true in less developed areas where elephant populations have significantly decreased, such central and west Africa. Governments may more readily afford to maintain their protected areas in regions with growing economies, like East Africa. The tourism sector is healthier in stable nations, which is also essential for the parks. The locals realize the value of preserving the parks when money is coming in.

Politics: Elephant conservation greatly depends on political will. Poaching levels are significantly impacted by the government’s readiness to prioritize the conservation of wildlife (in this case, elephants), combat poaching, and actively support the establishment of suitable habitats.

International organizations like Peace Parks have provided significant aid to some nations. However, the Peace Parks Foundation will only operate in areas where it receives local support. They will contribute the funds and expertise, but they will withdraw if the local governments fail to fulfill their obligations.

In conclusion
It is obvious that the Africa elephant is in peril and that its future is uncertain given that the number of savannah elephants has decreased by more than 30% in ten nations in eastern and southern Africa (including all those with significant elephant populations), and that the rate of loss has increased between 2007 and 2015.

Although a variety of causes, including habitat loss and human-elephant conflict, contribute to the fall in elephant populations, researchers concur that poaching is the primary reason. The elements that affect poaching in different nations are less evident, though.

Poaching rates vary greatly between nations; they are not all the same. According to the study, Tanzania lost the greatest number of elephants, while Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique also saw notable declines. Tanzania and Mozambique saw the biggest declines in percentage terms when compared to the total number of elephants in their countries, with 63% and 34%, respectively.

Some nations are particularly vulnerable to poaching for a variety of reasons, including complicated (anti-poaching capabilities), interconnected (economics and politics), geographically impacted (border vulnerability), and unclear (corruption). It is challenging to pinpoint the precise causes of why poaching is more prevalent in some African nations than others, even while some of these are particularly relevant to specific nations.

However, it is evident that elephant population levels are declining quickly, at a rate of roughly 8% per year, since rising poaching activity is driven by the demand for ivory from Asian markets. This decline is unsustainable, even though the variables determining poaching levels in individual nations are still complicated.

Only a particular country-by-country approach will be able to address the concerning decline in elephant populations. New and improved conservation methods that are adapted to the particular and distinct circumstances of each nation must be included in such a plan. Before it’s too late, it must be swiftly studied and put into practice for the African savannah elephant’s long-term survival.