For the first time, the International Union for Conservation of Nature assesses global extinction risk status of the African savanna and forests elephants separately.
Although you may already know of this, in March of 2021, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed the African forest elephant as critically endangered and the African savanna elephant as endangered on its Red List.
The IUCN’s Red List is a comprehensive information source on the global extinction risk status of animals, plants, and fungus species.
This is the first time the African species of elephants were assessed separately. The African forest elephant population has fallen more than 86% over a 31-year period and the African savanna elephant population has fallen approximately 60% over the last 50 years.
According to Dr. Bruno Oberle, IUCN Director General;
“Africa’s elephants play key roles in ecosystems, economies and in our collective imagination all over the world. Today’s new IUCN Red List assessments of both African elephant species underline the persistent pressures faced by these iconic animals…”
Both species experienced a sharp decline of their populations since 2008 due to increased poaching which peaked in 2011. Poaching continues to be one of the critical factors that threatened their existence as well as loss of habitat for agriculture and other land use.
Providing separate assessments of both species can help focus on appropriate and more robust conservation efforts for each of these species moving forward.
The elephant species is integral to the ecosystems in which they live as well as to the health of our planet. Providing necessary measures to ensure their survival is not only humane but is also a step towards maintaining the health of our planet that we all depend on.
As Dr. Barney Long, Global Wildlife Conservation’s Senior Director of Species Conservation states;
“Regular re-assessment of a species’ status on the Red List helps to highlight worrying trends like what the elephants of Africa are experiencing. The health of our planet depends on the health of elephants and the ecosystems they inhabit…”
Please share this updated status for the African elephants to spread awareness of the threats they are facing. They need our support.
Photo by Joaquín Rivero on Unsplash
Reference:
https://www.iucn.org/news/species/202103/african-elephant-species-now-endangered-and-critically-endangered-iucn-red-list
