Forest snitches: Elephant spatial behavioral strategies as revelators of human activities in a poaching context

Project Information

ForSE

Grant agreement ID: 101032030

DOI

10.3030/101032030

Project closed

EC signature date 21 April 2021

Start date 2 August 2021

End date 16 July 2024

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 196 707,84

EU contribution

€ 196 707,84

Coordinated by

MUSEUM NATIONAL D'HISTOIRE NATURELLE
France

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ForSE (Forest snitches: Elephant spatial behavioral strategies as revelators of human activities in a poaching context)

Reporting period: 2021-08-02 to 2023-08-01

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Large herbivores shape the structure and function of landscapes and environments in which they occur but today 60% of remaining large-bodied herbivores are threatened with extinction and nearly all suffer from range reduction due mostly to habitat loss and overhunting. The loss of these ecosystem engineers resonates across the landscape, leading to large-scale consequences such as shift in vegetation patterns contributing to global warming. The most precipitous declines have occurred among African forest elephants, which mostly inhabit Central African rainforests. Forest elephant numbers dropped by 62% from 2002 to 2011, and current populations persist at only 10% of their potential size, occupying less than 25% of their potential range. Latest censuses have estimated of ~95 000 remaining forest elephants, with Gabon containing over 65% of the remaining individuals. Forest elephants play a main role in the ecosystem and their loss would most likely contribute to the homogenization of forest structure and decreases in carbon stocks.

For elusive species inhabiting remote habitat (e.g dense forests only accessible by foot), human disturbance is challenging to measure, especially when human activities are illegal. While some areas are well monitored by wildlife law enforcement patrols, large areas remain poorly monitored due to the lack of human and material resources, their inaccessibility and the difficulty to conduct remote census. However, improvements in tracking technologies allow high-precision recordings of animal space use over extended periods, independent of weather and light conditions, even in inaccessible regions where field data collection is complex. Given the known importance of perceived risk from humans in shaping animal behaviour, tracking changes in space use of forest elephants in combination with data collected in the field, could reveal constraints induced by illegal human activities and help map these risks to better plan anti-poaching strategies.

The main assumption of the ForSE project is that poaching pressure is a major force influencing fine scale space use of forest elephants, and its influence on elephant’s behaviour can be used to reveal covert human activities. Our approach is based on fine scale analyses of space use of collared forest elephants and existing information on poaching pressure to 1) identify correlated suites of space use traits – Spatial Behavioural Strategies (SBS) – and validate their use as poaching pressure proxies ; 2) identify space use characteristics associated with a heightened mortality risk and identify collared elephants at risk; 3) Develop an interactive tool for decision support based on the results of objectives 1 and 2; 4) Disseminate these results to improve anti-poaching actions.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The ForSE project, conducted in collaboration with the Gabonese National Parks Agency (ANPN), focused on fine-scale analyses of collared forest elephant space use and integration of poaching pressure data to improve conservation and management strategies.
Analyses of Spatial Behavioral Strategies (WP1) revealed behavioral adjustments to poaching pressure proxies with sex-specific difference. These findings have been drafted into 2 manuscripts and form the validation of SBS as potential early indicators of anthropogenic pressure in forest elephant. To better measure poaching pressure, a pilot deployment of acoustic recorders has been initiated.
A list of poached individuals was compiled, and analyses aim to identify individuals exhibiting high-risk space-use traits similar to those of poached elephants were initiated during the project (WP2).
The tool’s architecture of the Elephant at Risk Estimator has been developed (WP3). Integration of SBS and risk profile results is pending, with further developer support required to ensure full functionality.
The fellow conducted training sessions and field-based capacity reinforcement for selected senior and technical staff members to reinforce their analytical skillsets. The fellow presented results at international conferences (ICCB, 2023; BES Annual Meeting, 2022) and organized the Symposium Forêts et Éléphants (Paris, 2023), engaging over 180 participants both in person and online. Outreach also included local press coverage, a popular paper in The Conversation, and public engagement activities.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) with ANPN was signed, and to strengthen long-term collaboration between MNHN and ANPN, a larger framework agreement was drafted (and signed after the end of the fellowship) to enable follow-up projects on forest elephant conservation and human–wildlife coexistence.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The ForSE project has advanced the understanding of forest elephant behavior under poaching pressure, providing insights that go beyond the current state of the art in wildlife ecology and conservation management. While prior studies have described elephant space use at coarse scales, this project integrates fine-scale GPS tracking, habitat characterization, and explore innovative proxies for anthropogenic risk to identify Spatial Behavioral Strategies (SBS) indicative of poaching pressure. The identification of behavioral adjustments represents a novel approach to early detection of heightened mortality risk, which had not been systematically implemented in forest elephant research before. Additionally, the project has initiated the use of passive acoustic monitoring of gunshots as a complementary proxy for poaching pressure
Scientific impact: Introduction of SBS as quantitative, fine-scale behavioral proxies for poaching pressure, advancing methods in behavioral ecology, conservation biology, and wildlife monitoring.
Socio-economic impact: By informing more efficient allocation of anti-poaching resources, the project can help reduce economic losses associated with wildlife crime and support sustainable management of forest ecosystems.
Wider societal implications: Capacity reinforcement of ANPN staff and knowledge dissemination via training, public outreach, and a dedicated symposium have strengthened local expertise and fostered collaborative conservation networks. The project contributes to ecosystem preservation, supports human–wildlife coexistence, and provides transferable tools and methods applicable across Central Africa and to other species threatened by poaching.
Overall, the project has generated novel behavioral insights, practical monitoring tools, and collaborative frameworks that are expected to improve forest elephant conservation and enhance the societal value of protected area management.

Capacity building in the field, Gabon ©ANPN

Collared male forest elephant, Gabon ©MNHN/ANPN

Symposium "Forests and Elephants"

Presentation of the ForSE project, Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, Gabon ©ANPN