Poaching: A Threat to African Elephant’s Population

Usman B., Yahaya - Abdullahi, Ahmad B.

Abstract


The paper examines the threats to the African elephants’ population by looking at the different remaining reserves, and the problems affecting the growth of the African elephant’s population, despite the banned on African elephants ivory trade by the international community. The populations of African elephant have continued to be threatened among others by poachers for meat and ivory and traditional medicines, human elephant conflicts, habitat fragmentations in Cameroon and Democratic Republic of Congo. Protection within National Parks have proven to be ineffective, because elephants spent more time outside protected area and about 80% of the continent elephants remain in or outside buffer zones and protected area. The paper attempts to highlight the problems causing the depletion of the population of the African elephant and also proffers meaningful interventions and strategies that will possibly reduce the depletion of the elephant’s population. The interventions may include establishment of elephants corridors along the surrounding landscape, demarcation of farm lands with beehive bees fences, proper land planning system, buffer zones, public enlightenment and use of community based natural resources management system among others as proposed in this paper, would serve as an effective conservation strategies.


Full Text:

PDF

References


References

Adams,W.M.(1998).Conservation and development ,conservation science and action. Sutherland, editor. Blackwell Oxford pp: 286-315.

Alers,M.P.T.,Blom,A.,Kiyengo,C.S.,Masunda,T., and Barnes,R.F.W.(1992).Preliminary assessment of the status of the forest elephant in Zaire. African Journal of Ecology, 30(4): 279-291.

Barnes,R.F.W.,A. Blom, and Alers,M.P.T.(1995).A review of the status of forest elephant loxodonta Africana in central Africa, Biological Conservation 71:125-132.

Beier,P., and Noss,R.F.(1998).Do habitat corridors provide connectivity? Conservation Biology,12(6):1241-1252.

Bekhauis,P.D.B.M., and Prins,H.H.(2003).Forest elephant density and distribution in the southern part of Campo Ma’an National Park, Cameroon. Pachyderm, 35:37-42.

Blanc,J.J.,Thouless,C,R.,Hart,J.A.,Dublin,H.T.,Hamilton,I.D.,Craig,C.G., and Barnes,R.F.W.(2003).African Elephant status Report 2002,International Union for Conservation of Nature,pp:45-57.

Blanc,J.,Barnes,R.,Craig,G.,Dublin,H.,Thouless.,Douglas-Hamilton,I.,and Hart,J.(2007).African Elephant status Report 2007.Gland, Switzerland: IUCN/SSC African Elephant,pp:67-86.

Blanc,J.(2008).Loxodonta Africana(African elephant).in:IUCN 2012.IUCN Red list of threatened specie.(online) Available at http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/12392/0 [accessed]on 15th february,2013.

Camatock,K.E.,Ostrander,E.A., and Wasser,S.K.,(2003).Ampliying Nuclear and mitochondria DNA from African Elephant ivory: a tool for monitoring the ivory trade. Conservation Biology,17(6):1840-1843.

CITES, (2012).Monitoring the illegal killing of Elephant, African Elephant Database (AED)/IUCN/SSC African Elephant Specialist Group(AFESG).(online).Available at:http://www.grida.no/graphicslib/detail/percentage-of-illegally-killed-elephants-per-sub-region_333f[accessed] on 25th June 2013.

Doughlas-Hamilton,I.,Krink,T., and Vollrath,F.(2005).Movements and corridors of African elephants in relation to protected areas. Naturwissenschaften, 92(4), 158-163.

Hoare,R.E.(1995).Options for the control of elephants in conflict with people. Pachyderm, 19:54-63.

Hoare,R.E.(1999c).Determinants of human elephant conflict in a land –use mosaic. Journal of Applied Ecology, 36:689-700.

Hoare,R.E.(2000).African elephants and humans in conflict: the outlook for co-existence. Oryx,34:34-38.

King, L. E., Lawrence, A., Douglas-Hamilton, I., and Vollrath, F.(2009).Beehive fence deters crop raiding elephants. African of Ecology, 47(2):131-137.

King,L.E.,Douglas-Hamilton,I., and Vollrath,F.(2011).Beehive fences as effective deterrents for crop- raiding: field trials in northern Kenya. African Journal of Ecology, 49(4):431-439.

King,L.E.,Douglas,I., and Vollrath,F.(2007).African elephants run from the sound of disturbed bees. Current Biology, 17.

Kikoti,A.P.,Griffin,C.R., and Pamphil,L.(2011).Elephant use and conflict leads to Tanzania’s first wildlife conservation corridor. Pachyderm, (48):57-66.

Kioko,J.M., and Seno,S.O.(2011).Elephant corridor use and threats in the eastern range of Amboseli elephants, Kenya. Pachyderm, (49):70-78.

Loaries,S.R., Van Aarde,R.J., and Pimm,S.L.(2009).Elephant seasonal vegetation preferences across dry and wet savannas. Biological conservation, 142(12):3099-3107.

Martin,E., and Daniel,S.(2000).The ivory markets of Africa: Published by Save the Elephants, lincolns’s inn London:9-14.

Mbile,P.,Vabi,M.,Meboka,M.,Okon,D.,Arrey-Mbo,J.,Nkongho,F., and Ebong,E.(2005). Linking management and livelihood in environmental conservation: case of the Korup National Park Cameroon. Journal of Environmental Management, 76(1):1-3.

Michelmore,F.,Beardsley,K.,Barnes,R.F.W., and Douglas-Hamilton,I.(1994). A model illustrating the changes in forest elephant numbers caused by poaching. African Journal of Ecology, 32(2):89-99.

Naughton,L.,Rose,R., and Treves,A.(1999).The social dimensions of human –elephant conflict in Africa: A literature review and case studies from Uganda and Cameroon. A Report to the African Elephant Specialist Group, Human –Elephant Conflict Task Force, IUCN, Glands, Switzerland,pp:89-105.

Rodwell,C.E.,Connell,T.,Rice,M., and Hart,L.A.(2000).Living with the conservation paradigm: can agricultural communities co-exist with elephants? A five-year case study in East Caprivi, Namibia. Biological Conservation, 93:381-391.

Osborn,F.V., and Parker,G.E.(2003). Linking two elephant refuges with a corridor in the communal lands of Zimbabwe. African Journal of Ecology, 41(1):68-74.

Plumptre,A.J.,Kujirakwinja,D.,Treves,A.,Owiunji,I., and Rainer,H.(2007).Transboundary conservation in the greater Virunga landscape: its importance for landscape species. Biological conservation, 134(2),279-287.

Robert,B.W.,Moe,S.R., and Vedeld,P.(2003).Stakeholder attitudes towards wildlife policy and the Benoue wildlife conservation Area, North Cameroon. Environmental Conservation, 30:334- 343.

Stiles,D.(2004).The ivory trade and elephant conservation, Environmental Conservation,31(4):309- 321.

Stiles, D.(2011).Elephants meat trade in central Africa. Supplement to the Occasional paper of the IUCN species Survival Commissions.45.

Tegomo, O,N., and Defo, L.(2012).Mapping of resources use Area by the Baka pygmies inside and around Boumba-Bek National park in southest Cameroon, with special reference to Baka’s customary right. African Monographys suppl.43:45-59.

Tchamba, M.N.(1996).History and present status of the human/elephant conflict in the Waza-Logone region, Cameroon, West Africa. Biological Conservation, 75(1):35-41.

UNEP (1989).The African Elephant, UNEP/GEMs Environmental Library No 3.Nairobi Kenya

Urskreuter,S.I.(1994).Elephants and ivory lessons from the trade Ban,IEA studies on the Environment,2:published by environment unit the institute of economic affairs.Goron pro print co Ltd,lancing,w.Sussex Britain.

Usongo, I.(2003).Preliminary results on movements of radio-collared elephant in Lobeke National park south-east Cameroon. Journal of African Elephants, African Rhino and Asian Rhino Specialist Groups, 34:54-58.

Wasser,S.K.,Clark,W.J.,Drori,O.,Kisamo,E.S.,Mailand,C.,Mutayoba,B., and Stephens, M.(2008).Combating the illegal trade in African ivory with DNA forensics. Conservation Biology, 22(4):1065-1071.

Weladji, R.B., and Tchamba, M.N.(2003) Conflict between people and protected areas within the Benoue wildlife Conservation Area, North Cameroon. Oryx, 37(01):72-79.


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.