Habitat destruction has decimated Côte d’Ivoire’s forest elephant population
A new study by researchers at the Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny d’Abidjan-Cocody in Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) has reported a large-scale and disastrous decline in the country’s forest elephant population. The study was published in the open-access journal “PLOS ONE”.
It is probable that, in precolonial and colonial times, the country contained one of the largest elephant populations in West Africa – hence its name. But by the early 1990s the country’s total population of savannah and forest elephants had fallen to less than 360.
Subsequent surveys did not follow a standard protocol. Moreover, the most recent of these was at least ten years old. So the research team, led by Sery Gonedelé Bi, launched a new survey. They analysed reports of human-elephant conflicts, media reports, interview surveys (collected from 2011 to 2017) and elephant dung counts.
The survey was conducted in 25 protected areas in the country. The presence of elephants was confirmed in only four of these areas. And in all four, the elephant population density was low.
Indeed, they discovered that more than half of these protected areas had ceased to exist, having been completely transformed into human settlements and farmland (including cocoa plantations). It was this ecosystem destruction which was the main reason for the catastrophic fall in elephant numbers in the country. Those protected areas which actually had some protection had a greater chance of containing elephant populations.
“The large majority of the protected areas of Côte d’Ivoire has lost its entire elephant populations as a consequence of the lack of conservation measures,” reported the research team. “Out of the 25 protected areas surveyed, forest elephants of Côte d’Ivoire are now confined into small populations in four protected areas.”
Strong conservation actions were needed to preserve the country’s remaining elephants, they affirmed. These should include law enforcement and ranger patrols.
Comments
Research Reports
Latest Multimedia
Showroom
Weir is a global leader in mining technology. We recognise that our planet’s future depends on the transition to renewable energy, and that...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Introducing the Rio-Carb Smart Chute Concept - a revolutionary advancement in materials handling, designed for the toughest industries like mining...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
