Human activity has had a devastating impact on Africa’s elephants in recent decades, a new study from the US and South Africa shows. According to the researchers, 77% of the continent’s elephants have disappeared since the 1960s.
Since the 1960s, hundreds of elephant surveys have been conducted in Africa using different methods. These varying methods, along with other factors, have made it difficult to track changes over time, according to the researchers.
In a study published in the scientific journal PNAS, researchers from the University of Washington in the US and Nelson Mandela University in South Africa, among others, used these surveys to create a computer model that estimates the extent of elephant population declines in many parts of Africa.
There are two species of elephant living in Africa, the African savanna elephant which is the largest, and the African forest elephant which is slightly smaller in size. Savanna elephants are mainly found in grasslands and savannas, while forest elephants prefer forested areas.
The study shows that the savanna elephant population has declined by 70% since the 1960s, while forest elephants have declined by 90% over the same period.
Human impact
According to the study, human activity is the main threat to both species. Savannah elephants are mainly threatened by the illegal ivory trade, while forest elephants are most affected by deforestation in rainforest areas.
Despite the gloomy figures, researchers highlight some bright spots: in several countries, particularly in southern Africa, elephant populations have increased thanks to effective conservation measures.
The exact number of elephants in Africa today is uncertain, but the WWF estimates there are approximately 415,000 African elephants in total, with about a quarter being forest elephants.
