Post by account_disabled on Mar 10, 2024 4:26:15 GMT -5
An official assessment of African elephants by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has revealed that elephants are more endangered than previously thought and face extinction . Both elephants have been added to the "Red List", a document that includes all endangered species and is widely used in conservation circles.
These two species of elephants were previously on the red list of endangered animals, but in the “vulnerable” category and were also considered as a group. However, with the new genetic studies that the IUCN has done, it currently considers them as two different species, which means that the degree of severity for both has increased, since the evaluation now classifies African forest elephants as in critically endangered and the African savannah elephants as endangered.
Poaching remains the worst problem for both species of African elephants
Previously, elephants were only classified as African or Asian. However, African elephants include two species, forest elephants and savannah elephants. African forest elephants are smaller c Phone Number List ompared to their savannah counterparts. Savannah elephants are commonly found in sub-Saharan Africa, while forest elephants remain in the central and western regions of Africa.
“The potential positive conservation impact of dividing forest and savanna elephants into separate species cannot be overstated,” said Bas Huijbregts of the World Wildlife Fund. "The challenges for both species are very different, as are the paths to their recovery."
African elephants face many threats, including poaching for ivory for their tusks, human -wildlife conflict, among others. According to Kathleen Gobush of the IUCN, who also led the assessment, poaching remains the worst problem .
"For both species, poaching remains the main driver of decline," Gobush said. "These assessments will hopefully attract renewed attention so that the world will double down on stopping the killing, trafficking and demand for ivory."
The number of African elephants has been declining in recent decades.
Over a period of years, approximately % of African forest elephants have been lost due to various factors. According to the IUCN, African savanna elephants have declined by % in the last years. Today, only a total of , of both species remain on the continent.
The largest populations of the forest elephant can be found in Gabon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and currently occupy a quarter of the territory, however, this has been possible due to the measures that have been established against poaching , the conservation efforts and above all the reconversion of the habitats of these species .
For its part, the savanna elephant lives in the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation area (convergence area of five countries in southern Africa) where the largest subpopulation of these elephants resides.
While African elephants have been declining, the assessment also found that quick, positive action could be helpful in restoring their populations. If elephants are protected and given the opportunity to rejuvenate, their populations can recover. For example, Tsavo National Park in Kenya has witnessed an increase in its elephant population, from , in to about , today.
These two species of elephants were previously on the red list of endangered animals, but in the “vulnerable” category and were also considered as a group. However, with the new genetic studies that the IUCN has done, it currently considers them as two different species, which means that the degree of severity for both has increased, since the evaluation now classifies African forest elephants as in critically endangered and the African savannah elephants as endangered.
Poaching remains the worst problem for both species of African elephants
Previously, elephants were only classified as African or Asian. However, African elephants include two species, forest elephants and savannah elephants. African forest elephants are smaller c Phone Number List ompared to their savannah counterparts. Savannah elephants are commonly found in sub-Saharan Africa, while forest elephants remain in the central and western regions of Africa.
“The potential positive conservation impact of dividing forest and savanna elephants into separate species cannot be overstated,” said Bas Huijbregts of the World Wildlife Fund. "The challenges for both species are very different, as are the paths to their recovery."
African elephants face many threats, including poaching for ivory for their tusks, human -wildlife conflict, among others. According to Kathleen Gobush of the IUCN, who also led the assessment, poaching remains the worst problem .
"For both species, poaching remains the main driver of decline," Gobush said. "These assessments will hopefully attract renewed attention so that the world will double down on stopping the killing, trafficking and demand for ivory."
The number of African elephants has been declining in recent decades.
Over a period of years, approximately % of African forest elephants have been lost due to various factors. According to the IUCN, African savanna elephants have declined by % in the last years. Today, only a total of , of both species remain on the continent.
The largest populations of the forest elephant can be found in Gabon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and currently occupy a quarter of the territory, however, this has been possible due to the measures that have been established against poaching , the conservation efforts and above all the reconversion of the habitats of these species .
For its part, the savanna elephant lives in the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation area (convergence area of five countries in southern Africa) where the largest subpopulation of these elephants resides.
While African elephants have been declining, the assessment also found that quick, positive action could be helpful in restoring their populations. If elephants are protected and given the opportunity to rejuvenate, their populations can recover. For example, Tsavo National Park in Kenya has witnessed an increase in its elephant population, from , in to about , today.