Elephants in Africa are threatened with extinction due to overhunting

Factors such as the ivory trade, loss of vital habitat, and a lack of a deeper understanding of elephant biology all combine to underestimate the actual threat they face.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature said that the elephants living in the forests of the African continent are now at serious risk of extinction.

In turn, elephants living in savannas (a mixed woodland and grassland ecosystem characterized by wide tree spacing) are at risk of extinction.

Their "decades in numbers" have led to the two species of elephants being classified in the top two groups at risk of extinction.

African elephants were previously assessed as a species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List.
Genetic evidence from more than a decade ago showed that these elephants belong to two distinct species with different characteristics.

But it takes several years to make accurate assessments of elephant numbers and the risks they face.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates that only 415,000 elephants live in Africa.
But the number of elephants living in forests has fallen by more than 86 percent over the past three decades.

In addition, the number of elephants living in savannas has declined by at least 60 percent over the past 50 years.

The situation varies from country to country. In Botswana, for example, there are opinions that there are too many elephants that the ecosystem there can not support them naturally.

But on the continent, large mammals are in decline.

Dr Ben Okita, who co-chairs the Elephant Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, described the latest assessment as an "alarm bell".

Dr Okita told BBC News that although poaching peaked in 2011, it remained a "critical factor" in the elephant population's decline.

He added that overfishing was "one of the major causes".
"But there is another silent killer that requires a high degree of care - land erosion and fragmentation."

"It is a huge challenge faced by species that need very large areas and move over long distances," he said.

"Wild animals do not know international borders, and in order for us to change things, we have to cooperate across these borders and plan for better land use," he added.

Dr. Okita explained that when animals share this land, it is important to use it in a way that is sensitive to their needs.

And he added, "I know that the will is available in African governments as well as in the local communities that live alongside these animals, so we just need to put that into practice. I am optimistic, very optimistic, that we can change things."
"Although it looks bleak on the surface, bringing it up publicly is a positive step," said Isla Duburgh of the University of Oxford's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit.

"Separating the species from each other is a positive step, as it allows us to address this situation in a focused manner, depending on the species we are looking for and where they are located," she said.

"I hope it (this) will lead to broader conservation actions for both species, in particular forest elephants, which have experienced a severe decline," said Amy Frankel, Executive Secretary of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.

Conservationists work "in the field in Africa" ​​to protect natural habitats, Dubourgé said, as they are the most important actors in efforts to protect animals.

"Those are the organizations that are worth donating to," she concluded.

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