Elephants might be the most well-known and well-loved animal in the line-up of African wildlife. But conservation of the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) poses special challenges. While the overall elephant population is half of what it was 40 years ago, some regions of Africa have more elephants than populated areas can support. That’s why AWF conservationists are studying elephant behaviors, protecting habitats, and finding ways for humans to co-exist with elephants peacefully in Africa.

Years ago, overhunting and the ivory trade were the biggest threats to elephants’ survival. Fortunately, ivory bans, hunting regulations, and protected areas safeguard elephants from these pressures today.

The 21st century brings an entirely different challenge to elephant conservation – land-use. Elephants roam over vast territories – across borders and outside parks and other protected areas. Unfortunately, elephants often range directly through human settlements and crops, causing discord between local farmers and these big mammals.

Successful conservation strategies must allow elephants to range freely in their natural habitats while reducing crop-raiding and other conflicts between elephants and local people and encourage peaceful co-existence.

AWF is helping elephants thrive by:

• Conducting state-of-the-art research, like satellite-tracking elephants using GPS in the Kilimanjaro Heartland;
• Protecting wildlife corridors and other transboundary habitats;
• Working with local communities to develop economic incentives that encourage locals to protect rather than destroy elephants.

In the Kilimanjaro Heartland, the variety of land-use patterns – including parks, subsistence agriculture and Maasai pastoralism and settlements – means that elephants are coming into more frequent conflict with humans.

AWF Elephant Researcher and Charlotte Fellow Alfred Kikoti is searching for a way to give both elephants and people the space they need. By collaring 10 elephants with GPS technology, Kikoti is collecting data on elephant habitats and movement patterns. The information he gathers will help AWF and its partners develop conservation strategies that will give migrating animals in this transboundary area the widest berth possible.

In the Zambezi Heartland, one of Africa’s largest elephant populations roams a vast landscape that crosses national boundaries. When the elephants are in each of the countries (Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique), they are protected by the respective authorities. But until recently, no one treated the landscape as a whole. No one had the big picture on why, when or where the elephants went – until now. With funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, AWF has brought together wildlife authorities from all three countries to develop a Heartland-wide management strategy for the elephants. Through aerial surveys, on-the-ground tracking and policy workshops, AWF is helping three governments harmonize their plan for managing the elephants they all share.

The Tarangire elephants in northern Tanzania (part of the Maasai Steppe Heartland) have experienced massive population shifts over the past 40 years. Poaching in the 1970s and 1980s caused elephants to move into the relative safety of Tarangire National Park. Researchers are studying elephant population dynamics in and around the park and have created the second-largest elephant database in Africa. With a strong understanding of the elephant population and the ecology of the Tarangire elephants, conservationists can now identify critical migration and dispersal areas to target for protection.