African elephants are on the verge of extinction due to poaching and habitat loss

African elephants are on the verge of extinction. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has included both the forest elephant and the savannah elephant on the red list of "endangered" and "critically endangered" species.

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African elephants are getting closer to extinction. The alarm comes from the last report of theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature (Iucn) which has included both the forest elephant and the savannah elephant on the red list of "endangered" and "critically endangered" species.

To cause the decline of these extraordinary animals are first of all the poachers and the silent killer represented by perdita dell'habitat. Africa is witnessing an unprecedented decline in the two elephant species. Since 1990, the number of forest elephants (considered "critically endangered") has decreased by 86%, while the population of forest elephants (labeled as "endangered) has dropped by 60% over the past 50 years. .

The appalling decline of African elephants in recent decades

If until the last century the African continent was home to one and a half million elephants, the last large-scale census, carried out in 2016, indicates the presence of only 415 thousand pachyderms.

“Going from vulnerable to endangered and critically endangered shows a much higher risk of extinction. It doesn't mean they will die out tomorrow, but it's a greater risk. " - explains Dr. Kathleen Gobush, who led a team of six IUCN researchers in the elaboration of the new classifications that consider forest elephants and savannah elephants as two separate species, following a series of recent scientific studies. "This reclassification leads us to pay attention to each animal - the elephant of the forest and the elephant of the savannah - and therefore to adapt conservation plans according to the needs of each species, which are different."

African elephants are on the verge of extinction due to poaching and habitat loss

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While poaching is decreasing in several African territories, habitat loss is advancing silently, with devastating effects for elephants and other species.

“As far as we can see that poaching has decreased in many countries, there is this silent killer represented by fragmentation and habitat loss. During the invasion of elephant habitats, conflicts occur between animals and people. And in the process, the elephants are killed. "

Recently some African states are demonstrating their commitment to the defense of these extraordinary animals, as highlighted by the director of the IUCN Bruno Oberle:

"Several African nations have led the way in recent years, proving that we can reverse the decline of elephants and we need to work together so that their example can be followed."

But if we do not intervene as soon as possible with targeted conservation and protection strategies, in a few decades African elephants could disappear forever from the African continent.

Source: LUNC