Why there is a giant drop in population of African elephants in 50 years

They are the largest animals on Earth. There was a time when African elephants roamed free.  But not any more. They are in grave danger.

New research shows a massive decline in the population of these mammals in various parts of the continent over the last half-century. The study published on Monday (November 11), led by wildlife experts at Colorado State University in the United States studied two African elephant species, namely the savanna elephant and forest elephant. The survey was conducted at 475 sites in 37 countries from 1964 to 2016. The results are concerning.

What is the result of the study?

Known for being highly intelligent and social, the African elephant species have existed for millions of years.

The study conducted by researchers revealed that the population of savanna elephants fell by 70 per cent on average while the forest elephant populations dropped by about 90 per cent on average at the sites that were surveyed. There has been a 77 per cent population decrease on average at the various surveyed sites across both species.

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“The loss of large mammals is a significant ecological issue for Africa and the planet,” said conservation ecologist and study co-author Dave Balfour, a research associate in the Centre for African Conservation Ecology at Nelson Mandela University in South Africa.

Which places have witnessed a drop in population?

While some places saw an immense decline in elephant population others witnessed a surge owing to conservation efforts.

“A lot of the lost populations won’t come back, and many low-density populations face continued pressures. We likely will lose more populations going forward,” said George Wittemyer, a Colorado State University professor of wildlife conservation and chair of the scientific board of the conservation group Save the Elephants, who helped lead the study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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What is the reason for the population decline?

One of the major reasons for the decline in number of these African giants is poaching. Loss of habitat, climate change and loss of genetic diversity can be other reasons. Poaching is still at the top with these mammals being hunted for their tusks, sold illegally on an international black market driven mostly by ivory demand in China and other parts of Asia.

The forest elephant population is estimated to be about a third that of savanna elephants. Poaching has affected forest elephants disproportionately and has ravaged populations of both species in northern and eastern Africa.

“We have lost a number of elephant populations across many countries, but the northern Sahel region of Africa - for example in Mali, Chad and Nigeria - has been particularly hard hit. High pressure and limited protection have culminated in populations being extirpated,” Wittemyer said.

Where is the population rising?

According to the study, elephant populations saw a rise in southern African regions by 42 per cent.

“We have seen real success in a number of places across Africa, but particularly in southern Africa, with strong growth in populations in Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia. For populations showing positive trends, we have had active stewardship and management by the governments or outside groups that have taken on a management role,” Wittemyer said.

Notably, the study did not track a continent-wide population tally because the various surveys employed different methodologies over different time frames to estimate local elephant population density, making a unified headcount impossible. Instead, it assessed population trends at each of the surveyed sites.

A population estimate by conservationists conducted separately from this study put the two species combined at between 415,000 and 540,000 elephants as of 2016, the last year of the study period. It remains the most recent comprehensive continent-wide estimate.

Why elephants matter

The world’s third extant elephant species, the slightly smaller Asian elephant, is facing a population crisis of its own, with similar factors at play as in Africa.

Of African elephants, Wittemyer said, “While the trends are not good, it is important to recognise the successes we have had and continue to have. Learning how and where we can be successful in conserving elephants is as important as recognising the severity of the decline they have experienced.”

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Wittemyer added of these elephants, “Not only one of the most sentient and intelligent species we share the planet with, but also an incredibly important part of ecosystems in Africa that structures the balance between forest and grasslands, serves as a critical disperser of seeds, and is a species on which a multitude of other species depend on for survival.”

With inputs from agencies