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Central Africa – Challenges and Opportunities for Elephant Conservation

Central Africa – Challenges and Opportunities for Elephant Conservation. IUCN/SSC African Elephant Specialist Group. Support at the sub-regional level. West Africa Ongoing implementation of the MOU between range States for the implementation of the WAECS, in partnership with CMS

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Central Africa – Challenges and Opportunities for Elephant Conservation

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  1. Central Africa – Challenges and Opportunities for Elephant Conservation IUCN/SSC African Elephant Specialist Group

  2. Support at the sub-regional level • West Africa • Ongoing implementation of the MOU between range States for the implementation of the WAECS, in partnership with CMS • Support to national and transboundary elephant conservation initiatives • Technical support to proposal preparation throughout the sub-region • Eastern Africa • Submissions to a number of funding agencies for support to the EAECS • Southern Africa • Support to the Elephant Management Action Plan process in Mozambique • Support to ZAWA by AfESG member, Colin Craig • Central Africa • Approached COMIFAC for support to the CAECS

  3. Central Africa – Challenges and Opportunities for Elephant Conservation • Why the Concern? • Reports suggest illegal killing is high (recent media reports out of Zakouma, Garamba, and others) • Very little reliable data is available on the status of Central Africa’s elephant populations (either numbers or range) • No valid comparisons of elephant numbers over time. • Second lowest population in the sub-region, but holds the majority of Africa’s forest elephants. • High levels of insecurity throughout the region

  4. Central Africa Elephant Status Source: African Elephant Status Report 2007 www.african-elephant.org

  5. Threats to elephant populations in Central Africa • Direct • Illegal Killing (ivory and bushmeat) • Habitat Loss • Indirect • Human Elephant Conflict • Fragmentation of habitat by roads for logging and mining • Roads allow access by hunters (ivory and bushmeat) • Armed conflict and insecurity • Lack of capacities, including training, law enforcement, funding, and human resources • Global Economic Downturn • Consequences are unknown for conservation at this point

  6. Sub-Regional Activities Currently Underway • Central African Elephant Conservation Strategy (CAECS) • Completed in 2005, but not currently implemented • Ongoing work by range States • MIKE sites throughout the sub-region are monitoring illegal killing • A number of NGOs doing research and conservation in specific sites • Others?

  7. OPPORTUNITIES • Sub-regional Strategy ready to be implemented • Many organisations involved and committed • Possibility for significant multi-species initiatives • Private sector is large (funding and partnership opportunities) • Climate negotiations could provide opportunities for habitat conservation • Commission for the Forests of Central Africa (COMIFAC) • Others?

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