Africa can clean forest elephants

Conservation scientists are calling for emergency measures to save elephants, when 62% of African elephants have lost in the last decade.

The study, entitled "Devastating decline of forest elephants in central Africa", is based on the largest data on Central African elephants ever, according to the Association's announcement yesterday. Wild animal survival (WCS).

The decline was recorded across forest elephant habitats in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon and the Republic of Congo.

Mr. Rostand Aba'a of Gabon National Park Management Board and Marc Ella Akou of WWF Gabon, two co-authors said, they have been investigating Gabon forest for more than a decade and seeing more and more elephants .

Earlier this month, the Gabon government announced the loss of nearly 11,000 forest elephants in Minkébé National Park from 2004 to 2012, which has the largest number of wild elephants in Africa.

Recent investigations by the Democratic Republic of Congo show that the number of elephants has dropped sharply in the Okapi Animal Reserve, which is considered the last elephant's fortress in the area.

According to Dr. George Wittemyer of the Colorado State University Elephant Relief Foundation, the study provides the undisputed evidence of the decline of a smart animal on the earth. The world must wake up to stop the destruction of this animal just to satisfy consumption.

African forest elephants are getting less and less mainly due to hunting. (Photo: worldwildlife.org)

Dr. Samantha Strindberg, of WCS, one of the main authors said, the analysis reaffirmed what conservationists are still afraid of, that the trend towards rapid extinction could be in the next decade of the forest elephant. .

The study also showed that nearly one-third of the land area of ​​African forest elephants, where they could live 10 years ago, became too dangerous for elephants."Historically, elephants have lived throughout the forest in an area larger than 2 million square kilometers, now shrinking to only a quarter," said John Hart, the Lukuru Foundation.

"Although the forest is still present, there are no elephants, which indicates that this is not a problem with the degradation of living habitats, almost entirely by hunting , " added John Hart.

The results show that elephants disappear more and more in places where people live, many works such as roads, high levels of hunting and poor management are expressed by corruption and lack of law enforcement.

Conservationists say that it is imperative to act quickly and effectively at many levels to save elephants.

Dr. Fiona Maisels of WCS said: "Saving elephants requires synergies around the world where they are, along the route of smuggling ivory, at the consumption places in the eastern countries. We no longer have a lot of time before elephants leave. "

According to Dr. Stephen Blak, Max Planck Institute, forest elephants need two things: enough living space and protection.

"Unprotected roads, often involved in logging or other natural resources, increasingly encroach on natural areas and entail the death of elephants. Large areas without roads are needed. be maintained, and the road is in need of planning to protect wild species if they want to survive, " Stephen Blak said.

Many conservation experts say that countries need to improve the management of imports and sales of wildlife products in illegal ivory receiving and transshipment countries, especially in Asia.

The largest research on African forest elephants involved more than 60 scientists from 2002 to 2011; This is a great effort of conservationists with 91,600 elephant investigations in 5 countries: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon and the Republic of Congo, traveling more than 13,000 kilometers and recording more than 11,000 samples for analysis.

The results of the study came as 178 countries were concentrated in Bangkok, Thailand discussing wildlife trade issues, including illegal hunting and ivory smuggling.