By Nneka Nwogwugwu
A latest report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has revealed that African elephants living in forests and savannas are increasingly threatened with extinction.
The new assessments by IUCN published on Thursday underscore the persistent pressures faced by the two species of African elephants, which are now listed as either “critically endangered” or “endangered”.
“We must urgently put an end to poaching and ensure that sufficient suitable habitat for both forest and savannah elephants is conserved,” said Bruno Oberle, the IUCN director- general.
Oberle sounded the alarm even as he also praised some African countries for their work in trying to reverse the decline.
The Switzerland-based body’s latest survey said the savanna elephant was “endangered” and the much smaller, lighter forest elephant was “critically endangered” – only one step away from becoming extinct in the wild.
Before the latest Red List update, African elephants were treated as a single species, listed as “vulnerable”. But following the emergence of new genetic evidence, the two species have been categorised separately for the first time.
The IUCN cited data showing that the populations of Africa’s savanna elephants found in a variety of habitats had fallen by at least 60 percent over the last 50 years while the number of forest elephants – found mostly in Central Africa – had dropped by 86 percent over 31 years.
Combined, only approximately 415,000 African elephants remain, it said.
Both species suffered sharp declines since 2008 due to a significant increase in poaching, which peaked in 2011 but continues to threaten populations, the report said.
Despite the overall decline, some populations of forest elephants were rebounding due to conservation efforts by countries such as Gabon and the Republic of Congo.
