The future survival of African elephants: implications for conservation

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Introduction
African elephants (Loxodonta Africana) comprise two subspecies:
the savanna elephant (Loxodonta Africana) and forest elephant
(Loxodonta Africana cyclotis).1 These animals are found across Sub-
Saharan Africa, inhabiting swamp forests, savannas and desert.2
Savanna elephants live in Eastern and Southern Africa, whereas forest
elephants are predominantly found in Central Africa.3,4 Moreover,
both savanna and forests elephants can be found in small numbers in
Western Africa, although their taxonomic status remains undened.
Int J Avian & Wildlife Biol. 2018;3(5):379‒384. 379
© 2018 Ngcobo et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which
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The future survival of African elephants: implications
for conservation
Volume 3 Issue 5 - 2018
Jabulani Nkululeko Ngcobo,1,2 Tshimangadzo
Lucky Nedambale,1 Khathutshelo Agree
Nephawe,1 Ewa Sawosz,2 André Chwalibog2,3
1Department of Animal Sciences, Tshwane University of
Technolog y, South Africa
2Department of Animal Nutrition and Biotechnology, Warsaw
University of Life Sciences, Poland
3Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of
Copenhagen, Denmark
Correspondence: André Chwalibog, Department of
Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen,
Groennegaardsvej 3, 1870 Frederiksberg, Denmark, Tel +4540
9635 73, Email ach@sund.ku.dk
Received: October 05, 2018 | Published: October 09, 2018
Abstract
In 2007 the elephant population in Africa was estimated at between 470,000 and
690,000. However, this population is rapidly decreasing. Today, African elephants
are highly endangered and are listed as ‘vulnerable’ on the International Union for
Conservation of Nature Red List. In this review, we outline the major factors affecting
the future survival of elephants. We identify elephant poaching in Central Africa as
the primary cause of elephants’ decline, and this issue has duly received the majority
of attention from conservationists and policy-makers. However, poaching is not the
only factor: climate change, habitat loss, and human-elephant conflict also have an
adverse impact, and all have received relatively little attention due to the predominant
focus on poaching.
Keywords: Loxodonta Africana, elephants, conservation, poaching, extinction
International Journal of Avian & Wildlife Biology
Review Article Open Access
Southern Africa hosts the majority (± 55%) of the continent’s
elephant population; Eastern Africa holds ±28%, while Central Africa
includes ±16%, and the remaining ±2% are found in Western Africa
(Figure 1). Management strategies are challenging.3 For instance,
in Western Africa, human population increase and the consequent
growth in human-elephant conict (HEC) has emerged as a highly
pertinent issue, to the extent that fewer elephants can be found in
Western Africa than in other regions.3,4
In 2007, Africa’s elephant population was estimated at between
470,000 and 690,000.3 However, these gures declined by 144,000
by 2014 and have continued shrinking by 8% every year (Figure 2).1
Between 2010 and 2012, ±100 000 elephants were killed.5 A principal
cause of the killing constituted illegal poaching and the trade of
wildlife products, especially ivory.6,7 Elephant poaching for ivory is
most reported in Central Africa,8 the largest amount in Tanzania.7

The future survival of African elephants: implications for conservation 380
Copyright:
©2018 Ngcobo et al.
Citation: Ngcobo JN, Nedambale TL, Nephawe KA, et al. The future survival of African elephants: implications for conservation. Int J Avian & Wildlife Biol.
2018;3(5):379‒384. DOI: 10.15406/ijawb.2018.03.00123
Figure 1 Elephant population in African regions (Adopted from Nelleman C
et al.,2).
Figure 2 Africa’s elephant population trend (Adapted from Chase MJ et al.,1).
In Central Africa, more than 60% of elephants have been lost in the
past 15 years.9 The countries of Central African Republic and Somalia
have completely lost their elephant populations.7 This situation has
occurred in spite of the presence of mechanisms to prevent biodiversity
loss.10 Consequently, the African elephant has recently been listed as
vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature
Red List.4 Numerous factors jeopardize elephants’ survival and
affecting their conservation across Africa, with variations depending
on the region in question.4 For example, high levels of poaching
have been reported in Central Africa, while in Western Africa habitat
loss constitutes a signicant threat to elephant survival. In Southern
Africa, climate change represents a major issue for livestock11 and
wildlife survival.12 This literature review aims to elucidate the future
of Africa’s elephant populations, with particular emphasis placed on
human-elephant conict, habitat loss, climate change, and poaching,
as well as highlighting some mechanisms that may help preserve the
species.
Threats to the elephant population
Human-elephant conict
Human-elephant conict (HEC) is a signicant concern in the
conservation of species such as elephants and rhinos.13 Nevertheless, it
has received relatively little attention from managers, conservationists
and policy-makers due to the perceived salience of poaching.7
According to Dueveiller et al.,14 HEC occurs when human actions
cause an adverse effect on elephants, or vice versa. However, in a
practical perspective, no contestation can truly occur between animals
and humans because animals cannot consciously engage in such a
conict. Redpath et al.15 have described HEC: i) as an impact dealing
with the direct interaction between animals and humans; and ii) as
a conict centered on human interactions between those seeking to
conserve species and those who do not care or who do not understand
the value of conserving animal species.
When elephants’ activities intersect with those of humans, they can
pose a serious problem.16 For instance, when elephants compete with
humans for space and resources, signicant conict can arise.17 When
HEC occurs, not only is there a risk of property loss, but human safety
may also be jeopardized.18 Worldwide, numerous cases have been
described of people being killed by elephants, with HEC the principal
suspect. For instance, the Indian newspaper the Guardian has reported
of 15 people being trampled and killed by a single elephant in India.
Moreover, in response, most of the people affected demanded that the
elephant be killed. The HEC issue is expected to increase with the
growth of the human population in Africa.
HEC might also have an adverse effect on elephants. For example,
when elephants migrate to areas settled by humans, they may become
vulnerable to predation or poaching.19 Consequently, elephants
generally prefer places with fewer human activities.20 Nevertheless,
they require large amounts of space – preferably ±50 hectares per
elephant–as they tend to graze and browse large quantities of grass
and forages and require sufcient water and food.
The primary cause of HEC is generally considered competition
between domestic livestock and elephants for space for water and
grazing areas.20 Indeed, in general, domestic livestock (especially
cattle) graze on veld during the day and are conned in a kraal at
night.21 When they graze during the day, they tend to be guided by
headers. However, during the night elephants use the darkness to
search for food and may be shot by farmers where they affect crops.22
Habitat loss
Habitat loss constitutes a pertinent conservation issue.23 However,
it has received less attention from conservationists, elephant managers
and policy-makers due to the relative importance of the recent
upsurge in poaching.7 Forestry feeds wildlife and contains more
than 50% of plant species, rendering it the most important pillar in
the ecosystem.24 The reported overexploitation of forestry24 raises
numerous questions regarding the survival of wildlife.14 In 2007,
the land available for wildlife declined to ±15%.3 Indeed, between
2007 and 2015, a substantial decrease of 52 to 82% in Africa was
reported.7 Habitat destruction has been closely associated with human
population increase in many areas.13,25, 26 West Africa represents a
major site of habitat loss because many of its countries are seeing
increased pressure placed on natural areas for mining, logging and
the transformation of land for agricultural use.7 In Southern African
countries such as Botswana, habitat loss is less pronounced2 due
to small human populations and vast land availability, which can
accommodate both humans and wildlife.
Elephants are losing to human population increase in the battle for
space.19,27 They tend to be restricted to living in the center of forests
in order to avoid attacks from humans, including for the purpose of
poaching and resource exploitation.2 Furthermore, they require large
amounts of high-quality core forest soil.28 When a forest is deforested,
the thin, nutrient-rich soil is washed away, and it can take up to 50
years to recover.23,29 Hence, habitat destruction will become a long-
term threat to wildlife survival.2

The future survival of African elephants: implications for conservation 381
Copyright:
©2018 Ngcobo et al.
Citation: Ngcobo JN, Nedambale TL, Nephawe KA, et al. The future survival of African elephants: implications for conservation. Int J Avian & Wildlife Biol.
2018;3(5):379‒384. DOI: 10.15406/ijawb.2018.03.00123
Climate change
Initially, climate change was associated with natural processes
such as the circulation of oceanic currents.29 However, today it
is increasingly believed that human activities such as fossil fuel
combustion, deforestation and industrial activities cause climate
change.30 High temperatures affect animals in different ways, but such
changes are particularly severe for those that cannot dissipate heat
easily, such as elephants.
High temperatures: Many species of mammals use sweat glands or
pant to cool down when air temperatures are high. However, elephants
do not have a sweat duct,31 rendering heat dissipation a major
issue.32 When temperatures are high, they must use non-evaporative
techniques11 such as apping their ears in order to maximize heat
transfer.32 They may also use behavioral strategies such as hiding in
shaded areas under trees.31
Drought: Elephants’ lives are contingent on the availability of
water.11 Elephants tend to congregate in areas with sufcient water to
drink and in which to bathe and play, especially in coastal lowlands
and along river valleys.33 This is essential because they require a
large amount of water, about 150-300 liters of water per day. During
drought events, elephants may die due to limited amounts of water
availability.32 Nevertheless, the effects of drought tend to be less
severe for desert-adapted elephants, such as those found in northern
Namibia and Central Africa.3
Interaction between climate change and HEC: Climate change
may enhance conict between humans and elephants as they must
compete for increasingly limited land, water and other natural
resources. Moreover, climate change may stimulate humans to
alter their living patterns and livelihoods. For example, increased
vulnerability to ooding may cause people to move and establish new
settlements in elephants’ habitats. Droughts may equally cause people
to migrate to other areas in search of food, fodder and water both for
themselves and for their livestock. In seasons with limited rainfall,
pasture fertility may be low and so fodder reserves for livestock are
also constrained.34 When farmers run out of fodder, they often seek
grazing areas elsewhere, especially in forests, which is where many
elephants live.
Elephant poaching
Poaching can be dened as the illegal killing of wildlife animals.11
According to CITES,9 poaching is a major and growing threat to
elephant populations (Figure 3). Indeed, the increase in the illegal trade
of wildlife products has driven biodiversity loss among elephants.6
Figure 3 Estimated illegal killing of elephants by poaching (PIKE) from 2002
to 2011 in Africa (Adapted from CITES9).
Numerous factors drive wildlife poaching, particularly of
elephants,2,35 including poverty and ivory and crop raiding.
Poaching driven by poverty: The overhunting of wildlife for human
consumption is well-documented and has resulted in the decline and
extinction of certain species.5 It appears to be connected in part to
poverty.36 Tusks tend to be particularly prized.2 Therefore, elephant
poaching should not be approached as a mere conservation concern,
but rather as an issue of poverty and development.11
Poverty and wildlife conservation have been connected by Adams
et al.36 in two important ways: i) poverty as the main constraint to
wildlife conservation via overhunting and poaching as a source of
income; and ii) attempts to reduce poverty in most African countries
are dependent on living animals, particularly wildlife animals.
Poaching for ivory
Elephant populations face high risks of extinction due to the ivory
trade.38 The majority of illegally killed elephants are found without
their tusks.2 For example, in Niokola-Koba National Park in Senegal,
the elephant population reached a maximum of 450 in 1979 before
drastically dropping to about 80 in 1984. The primary cause of decline
was ivory poaching by well-armed poachers.37 China is the largest
trader of ivory, followed by Thailand, and African elephants’ tusks are
especially common.2
Crop raiding
Killing represents a ‘quick x’ method that is primarily used in

The future survival of African elephants: implications for conservation 382
Copyright:
©2018 Ngcobo et al.
Citation: Ngcobo JN, Nedambale TL, Nephawe KA, et al. The future survival of African elephants: implications for conservation. Int J Avian & Wildlife Biol.
2018;3(5):379‒384. DOI: 10.15406/ijawb.2018.03.00123
Africa by elephant authorities or affected people.38 In South Africa,
and especially in the Eastern Cape, elephants have been killed so that
they do not exceed certain numbers33 and trample crops. The issue is
that within an elephant population, it is difcult to identify a particular
culprit. In many cases, the wrong elephant is killed, which fails to
solve the problem.38 Even if the offender is killed, others potentially
replace it.19
What can be done?
Numerous measures can be taken to assist elephants in coping with
a changing climate. These include safeguarding elephants’ access to
water sources, whether natural or articial. Elephants require space
in which to roam, nd food and water as well as other elephants for
mating. Thus, securing land for elephants and enabling them to move
between them, in some cases across national borders, is necessary.
Deforestation is caused by imprudent land use as well as the
expansion of industrial areas.28 In Africa, the unregulated building of
shacks cannot be ignored. Therefore, organizations such as the Food
and Agriculture Organization (FAO) should put mechanisms in place
to minimize deforestation. For instance, effective measures for the
management of deforestation and the practice of afforestation are yet
to be implemented.
It is also important to reduce pressure on elephants’ habitats.
This may be achieved by supporting community livelihood activities
to enable people to cope during livestock food shortages, such as
assisting in rangeland management to conserve fodder for livestock
so that cattle do not need to be grazed in pastures used by elephants.
Improvements to agricultural practices should also be made through
sustainable agriculture. Working with communities to undertake
land-use planning increases the space available for their activities,
including for livestock and agriculture as well as for elephants and
other wildlife.
In the case of crop raiding, elephants should not be killed. This is
because elephants are slow breeders. For instance, when an elephant
is killed it will take 15 years for a female to replace it. Therefore,
when raiding crops, elephants should either be denied food or given a
place in which to live.38
Identifying the principal causes of elephant poaching is complex.
However, it is well-acknowledged that China and Thailand are the
largest ivory traders,2 and ivory tends to be transported from Kenya,
Tanzania and South Africa. Therefore, improving and tightening law
enforcement may play a signicant role. For instance, collaborations
between the military, anti-poacher units and the police may help
ght poachers,2 and boost the elephant population in regions such
as Southern Africa.1 A similar strategy should also be implemented
in Western, Central and Eastern African regions, where poaching
represents a principal cause of elephants’ decline. Nevertheless, highly
trained anti-poachers will be required, necessitating considerable
nancial resources.
Elephants may also benet poor people living close to wildlife
parks through the development of tourism.39 Policy-makers, managers
and wildlife conservationists should develop sustainable means
of including elephants in tourism so that their conservation will be
guaranteed.40,41

The future survival of African elephants: implications for conservation 383
Copyright:
©2018 Ngcobo et al.
Citation: Ngcobo JN, Nedambale TL, Nephawe KA, et al. The future survival of African elephants: implications for conservation. Int J Avian & Wildlife Biol.
2018;3(5):379‒384. DOI: 10.15406/ijawb.2018.03.00123
Conclusion
Elephants will soon become extinct if no proper conservation
strategies are implemented. This review has revealed that elephants
do not only face issues of poaching, but also habitat loss and climate
change connected with human activities. When all of these factors are
combined, they are capable of eradicating elephant populations across
Africa. This issue is particularly pertinent because Africa is comprised
of poor and developing countries. In most cases, the development
strategy is to expand industrial areas and agriculture in order to create
new job opportunities. More roads continue to be built and people
continue to move from rural to urban areas in search of superior jobs
and lifestyles. This alone may lead to elephants’ extinction through
habitat loss and global warming. People still need to be educated about
the value of elephants. However, given that many people in Africa are
illiterate, this will constitute a signicant challenge and will require
considerable nancial resources. Therefore, developed countries as
well as organizations such as the FAO and the United Nations might
play an important nancial role.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to express their gratitude to the Erasmus+
Program at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences for providing the
course in Wildlife Biology and Conservation.
Conicts of interest
The authors declare no conicts of interest.
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