Forest elephants under threat from poaching
Africa's forest elephants are under major threat from poaching and urgent action must be taken to ensure the survival of these mysterious creatures, according to new research lead by the Wildlife Conservation Society. The work, which was partly funded by the EU, is published in the latest edition of the journal Public Library of Science Biology. The African elephant, Loxodonta africana, was placed on the critically endangered list of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in 1989. The ivory trade was banned and wildlife protection measures were set up, and now elephant populations on the African savannah are on the up. This has lead some to suggest that a limited resumption of the ivory trade should be allowed, with many arguing that the revenue from this trade could be used to fund conservation programmes. However, while the populations of elephants on the savannah in southern Africa are well studied and relatively well protected, the same cannot be said for their cousins who inhabit the forests of central Africa. Morphologically, ecologically, genetically and behaviourally, the forest elephants are quite different from the savannah elephants, and are considered by many to be a distinct species. A 1989 survey estimated that there were just over 170,000 forest elephants living in the Congo Basin. Despite the ivory ban, poaching continues in the region, and conservationists fear that legalising the ivory trade could place the forest elephant in serious jeopardy. In this latest piece of research, the scientists set out to study the abundance and distribution of forest elephants in the Congo basin, work which would see them trekking through some of the most remote and difficult terrain Africa has to offer. They were looking for signs of both elephants (dung piles) and humans (machete cuts, shotgun cartridges, snares and hunting camps), as well as signs of forest elephants being killed illegally. Their work took in both protected and unprotected areas. The scientists found extensive evidence of poaching, in the form of elephant poaching camps and carcasses with their tusks removed. A number of trends were identified. For example, elephant density increased with distance from the nearest road, while evidence of human activities decreased. This explained the low elephant numbers in the Salonga National Park, which is crisscrossed with roads and navigable rivers, making over half of its area within ten kilometres of an access point. In contrast, parks with few roads had much higher elephant densities. Worryingly, an increase in logging activities and population growth means that new roads are continually being built through the forests, rendering the elephants that live there more accessible to poachers. A positive finding to come out of the survey was that even in the absence of clear management activities, elephant densities were higher in protected areas than unprotected areas. In summary, the researchers note that, 'even with a near-universal ban of the trade in ivory in place, forest elephant range and numbers are in serious decline.' They note that legalising the ivory trade based on the recovery of savannah elephants could accelerate the decline of the forest elephant. 'There is no doubt that forest elephants are under threat from illegal killing across Central Africa's forests, and soon, the only elephants left to poach will be those that remain in the interior of a few remote, well-funded national parks in politically stable countries,' the researchers state. 'Given their vulnerability compared to savannah elephants, the wellbeing of forest elephants must be given priority when making decisions about elephant management on the continental scale.' To remedy the situation, the researchers recommend a better approach to road building and construction across the region, in order to reduce fragmentation of the forest elephants' habitat. They also call for more financial and political commitment for anti-poaching measures, and greater control of the illegal trade in ivory. Finally, they call for the development of effective partnerships with logging and mining companies to reduce their impacts on protected areas and national parks.