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Two major decisions have been taken in recent weeks regarding African elephants that will have major implications for the survival of giant mammals.
The first is that a global organization dedicated to the conservation of elephants in Africa has recognized the African elephant as two species: forest and savannah. Previously, they were considered a single species. This is important because their individual populations are smaller than when recognized as a single species and because they face common and unique threats.
Second, in March, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature updated its Red List and moved African elephants to more endangered classifications. As a unique species, African elephants were previously classified as “vulnerable”, as there had been a reduction of over 30% in the population over the past three generations.
But the body has now classified forest elephants as “critically endangered” – a category for species that have declined by more than 80% in three generations. And he classified savanna elephants as “endangered” – a decline of over 50% in three generations.
Highlighting the African forest elephant as a separate species and classifying it as “critically endangered” will change the way these animals are studied and conserved. Environmentalists and conservationists can focus on understanding their unique ecology and the specific threats they face as a result of human pressure.
Divided species
Genetic studies show that African savanna elephants and forest elephants split into two species between 5 million and 6 million years ago. There are hybrid areas, where forest and savanna elephants meet, but numbers are low and they are mostly found in the border area between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
African forest elephants are found in 20 countries, where they live in forests and forest-savanna mosaics, most of which are found in Central Africa. In contrast, savanna elephants are found in 23 countries and live in a variety of habitats, from deserts to open and wooded savannas, and even in some forests. The largest populations are found in southern and eastern Africa.
Forest elephants differ from savannah elephants in shape, behavior, and ecology. Forest elephants are smaller than savannah elephants, with much smoother skin. The tusks of forest elephants are thin, parallel and often facing downwards, probably to better pass between trees. The elephant tusks of the savannah diverge widely. Forest elephants have rounded ears; savannah elephant ears resemble the shape of the African continent.
The diet of forest elephants is dominated by fruits. This means that they are extremely important for dispersing the seeds of forest trees, but they will also eat grasses, foliage, and even tree bark. Savannah elephants graze on grasses and, depending on the season, feed on a wide variety of trees, shrubs and fruits.
Forest elephants also have a much slower reproductive rate than savannah elephants, so they cannot bounce back from population declines as quickly as savannah elephants. Forest elephants can only double their population in 60 years under current conditions. This doubling rate is about three times slower than that of savannah elephants.
Forest elephants
The new Forest Elephant Assessment used the results of more than 300 surveys dating back to 1974. The estimated population decline was 86% between 1990 and 2015, placing forest elephants in the “Critically Endangered” category. “.
The decline of forest elephants is due to ivory poaching. This has affected both forest and savanna elephants for centuries, but has been greatly exacerbated by the introduction of modern weapons and, over the past 30 years or so, by the rising price of ivory.
However, forest elephants are elusive and live in remote and often inaccessible habitats. This means that they have received little attention compared to the savannah elephants.
Their new endangered status highlights the need for conservation management that matches their unique ecological and habitat requirements.
Understanding their behavior is fundamental to protecting them. For example, some populations of savannah elephants cushion seasonal changes in resource availability as they migrate. But it seems that forest elephants don’t react the same way. Instead, they are “nomadic” in their very large home ranges, in search of the most productive patches of fruit.
We also know that fruiting bodies are declining in some African forests due to climate change. This makes forest elephants very vulnerable to a reduction in their food supply.
Read more: Fruit famine causes elephant hunger in Gabon
Better protection
There are steps that can be taken to better protect forest elephants.
Some well-protected national parks and forest concessions certified by the Forest Stewardship Council have stable and secure elephant populations. Most of these sites are in Gabon and northern Republic of Congo, a few in Cameroon.
Gabon, in particular, has conserved its forest elephants relatively well, and half of all African forest elephants are now found there. The country has a zero tolerance approach to ivory trafficking, including sentences of up to 10 years in prison. There is also a tribunal specializing in wildlife crime, and in 2021 the Gabon National Parks Agency built the first DNA wildlife forensics laboratory in Central Africa. DNA analysis of seized ivory provides essential evidence to increase prosecutions. It also helps scientists identify poaching hot spots and trade routes.
The most urgent action required to halt the decline of forest elephants is an effective fight against poaching in range states. The work to combat trafficking throughout the supply chain, from hunters to traffickers and ivory traders, is also vital.
In the short term, elephants can only be protected by closing these networks and reducing or eliminating the demand for ivory – a material of no intrinsic value.
But monitoring threats to forest elephants is difficult. This makes scientific research a key tool that can be used to better guide their protection. This includes counting forest elephants, understanding their distribution and movements, detecting threats and monitoring population trends.
In the long term, three main strategies are needed to protect forest elephants. These are strong international policy and implementation agreements to address climate change and habitat degradation; ensure that national and regional land use planning maintains the connectivity of elephant habitat; and involve local communities who live alongside elephants. These measures will maximize the chances of protecting elephants and other species in the forests of Central Africa at a time of rapid environmental change.
Dr Stéphanie Bourgeois, who heads elephant conservation research for the Gabon National Parks Agency, contributed to the writing of this article.
Robin Whytock was funded by the 11th grant from the European Union’s ECOFAC6 EDF program to the Gabon National Parks Agency. He is currently employed by the University of Stirling and is funded by the UKRI-GCRF.
Fiona Maisels works for the Wildlife Conservation Society (Global Conservation Program) and is affiliated with the University of Stirling, Scotland. She is a member of the IUCN African Elephant Specialist Group and the 2021 African Elephant Red List team.
By Robin Whytock, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Stirling and
Fiona Maisels, Wildlife Conservation Society, African Elephant Specialist Group (IUCN) and Honorary Professor, University of Stirling
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