A recent assessment by conservation experts has sounded the alarm over the dramatic decline of two elephant species in Africa.
The African elephant populations are now on the brink of extinction due to the twin threats of poaching and habitat destruction.
The African forest elephants, native to the West African and Congo basin regions, have been declared critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), marking a significant step in their decline.
Similarly, the savanna elephants, also known as bush elephants and the largest land animals on Earth, have been classified as endangered by the IUCN.
This assessment paints a grim picture of the elephant population in Africa, which had previously been categorized as a single species and labeled as “vulnerable” to extinction on the IUCN’s Red List.
These two distinct species of African elephants were once commonly found throughout the continent, but their numbers have experienced substantial drops over recent decades.
The African forest elephants have seen their population plummet by over 86% within 31 years, while the bush elephant population has decreased by 60% in just half a century.
The primary driver behind this sharp decline, as highlighted by experts, is the rampant poaching for ivory that has surged since 2008, despite the international ivory trade ban established in 1989.
This illegal practice peaked in 2011, resulting in a significant threat to elephant populations.
Conservation efforts have provided a glimmer of hope in certain regions. Due to dedicated conservation work in Gabon and the Congo, some African forest elephant populations have stabilized.
Additionally, bush elephants have remained steady or even shown growth in countries such as Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe – the latter being home to the largest subpopulation of elephants in Africa.
Dr. Bruno Oberle, the Director-General of IUCN, emphasized the urgent need to halt poaching and underscored the Red List’s role in highlighting the ongoing pressures faced by these iconic creatures.
He stressed African elephants’ vital roles in ecosystems, economies, and global cultural significance.
“We must ensure the conservation of sufficient, suitable habitat for both forest and savanna elephants,” Dr. Oberle stated.
He highlighted successful conservation efforts in various African countries, advocating for collective action to follow their example in reversing the declining elephant populations.
The IUCN’s Red List, updated thrice annually, provides a snapshot of species’ conservation status.
The latest update for 2021 has assessed over 134,000 species, with more than a quarter (37,480) falling under the critically endangered, endangered, and vulnerable categories.
The update introduces 5,537 new animal species, including the New Zealand long-tailed bat, Caribbean reef shark, Indian-eyed turtle, Tsushima brown frog, spineback guitarfish, African spurred tortoise, and four-eyed turtle.
In the UK, six animal species were reassessed in this update, encompassing the hound shark, common dolphin, bottlenose whale, eagle ray, freshwater mussels, and pea blue butterflies.
