Human-elephant conflict in Africa is on the rise as people and elephants compete for space and resources. Converting this conflict crisis into coexistence is a significant new challenge for the Elephant Crisis Fund (ECF).
Africa is thriving, struggling, vibrant, beautiful, and changing fast. Industrial development, spreading agriculture, and rising human populations on the one side are meeting recovering elephant populations on the other. Where they meet, conflict between humans and elephants is the result.
Tackling this growing, widespread, and multi-disciplinary crisis is no easy task. The rural communities who live side by side with elephants are often among the poorest. How do we prioritize elephants and their needs when millions of people are struggling to survive? Social, economic, and health issues are powerful political competitors with long-term elephant conservation needs across the continent.
The ECF is focusing on two fundamental areas of need for this new conflict crisis: land and corridor protection, and novel grassroots deterrent strategies to keep elephants and people safely apart where necessary.
In Botswana, for example, one of our partners is working to identify and protect wildlife corridors. In Tanzania, communities previously heavily reliant on accessing a wildlife corridor are developing alternate sources of income.
Read about other projects we have funded to reduce human elephant conflict.