Abstract
Debate over repealing the ivory trade ban dominates conferences of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Resolving this controversy requires accurate estimates of elephant population trends and rates of illegal killing. Most African savannah elephant populations are well known; however, the status of forest elephants, perhaps a distinct species, in the vast Congo Basin is unclear. We assessed population status and incidence of poaching from line-transect and reconnaissance surveys conducted on foot in sites throughout the Congo Basin. Results indicate that the abundance and range of forest elephants are threatened from poaching that is most intense close to roads. The probability of elephant presence increased with distance to roads, whereas that of human signs declined. At all distances from roads, the probability of elephant occurrence was always higher inside, compared to outside, protected areas, whereas that of humans was always lower. Inside protected areas, forest elephant density was correlated with the size of remote forest core, but not with size of protected area. Forest elephants must be prioritised in elephant management planning at the continental scale.
Highlights
Between 1970 and 1989, half of Africa’s elephants (Loxodonta africana), perhaps 700,000 individuals, were killed, mostly to supply the international ivory trade [1]
We covered a combined distance of over 8,000 km on reconnaissance walks, and we systematically surveyed a total area of some 60,000 km2 under the auspices of the Monitoring of the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) programme
Elephant abundance increased with increasing distance from the nearest road, and poaching pressure was most concentrated near roads
Summary
Between 1970 and 1989, half of Africa’s elephants (Loxodonta africana), perhaps 700,000 individuals, were killed, mostly to supply the international ivory trade [1]. This catastrophic decline prompted the Conference of the Parties (CoP) to the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) to list African elephants on Appendix I of the convention, banning the international ivory trade. Opinions on the management of African elephants, including their international trade status, are polarized among range states, economists, and wildlife managers [2]. Conclusions are equivocal on whether resumption of the trade will have a positive or negative impact on elephant populations [3,4]
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