It is believed the ancestors of the current elephant species came into existence some 50-60 million years ago and their existence has beneficial effects for our planet.
Elephants are known as ecosystem engineers. They provide a myriad of ways of supporting ecosystems and maintaining biodiversity which is exactly why they are very much needed to fight the climate crisis we face.
Elephants are known as gardeners because of the varied plant life they ingest, in which they disperse the seeds through their dung, allowing for the biodiversity of plant life in other regions while providing food for other wildlife.
As elephants travel, they break down smaller trees on their path that allows for more light to enter through a forest canopy that fosters bigger trees to grow thus sequestering carbon.
By supporting ecosystem biodiversity, elephants play an important factor in reducing carbon emissions and fostering a healthier planet.
If forest elephants were able to recover to their original population, they could sequester 6,000 metric tons per square kilometer. Their economic value for carbon capture services would be estimated at $150 billion as a whole or 1.75 million per elephant. Whereas the ivory of a dead elephant taken by poachers is worth approximately $40,000. That is a 4,275% difference in the value of a single elephant being alive than dead!
We owe a great deal of respect for elephants not only for the fact they have roamed this planet much longer than we have and they are very evolved, intelligent and sentient beings, but also for the inextricable value they provide for us and for the earth just because of their very existence!
If you would like to help, you can learn more about elephant conservation at www.elephanttrust.org
Photo courtesy of Geran de Klerk via Unsplash
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