A stark dichotomy exists in the fate of Africa’s elephants. While elephants in some parts of the continent are still beleaguered by ivory poachers, elsewhere they are multiplying rapidly.
A preliminary analysis of elephant death rates collected by Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants suggests that elephant poaching is most severe and unsustainable in central African countries, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. MIKE was set up by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species to monitor poaching.
And last week conservationists, including the WWF, called for sanctions to be imposed on Mozambique for failing to curb its illegal ivory trade. Like 29 other African nations, Mozambique agreed last October to take steps to crack down on domestic ivory markets or face sanctions. Researchers from TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, reported finding 500 ivory products openly on sale at the country’s international airport in Maputo.
Advertisement
But in contrast to the MIKE data, a report released on Friday by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) revealed substantial increases in elephant populations in southern and east African countries over the last decade. Southern African countries including South Africa, Namibia and Botswana have seen annual rises of 5.5 per cent.
