Thanks to the efforts of many, the reduction in the ivory crisis over the last five years has been a significant, but still fragile, success. Ten years ago, it would have been difficult to imagine the world as it is today— one in which most of the major ivory trafficking networks have been so severely disrupted that traffickers are unwilling to take the risk of dealing in ivory, and where Chinese law enforcement agencies are carrying out their own sophisticated investigations into trafficking networks and diligently following up on leads provided to them by international NGOs. These changes are tremendously positive for elephants.
Selous Game Reserve elephant population, once one of the largest in the world, has been heavily reduced by poaching in the past five years. Although poaching levels appear to have decreased, there is still heavy pressure from the south of the reserve. ECF support has enabled PAMS Foundation’s Ruvuma Elephant Project (REP) to establish a … Continued
One of the largest remaining forest elephant populations in central Africa is found in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park and its periphery. Challenges to law enforcement in Odzala include the huge size of the area, the dense rainforest making movement difficult, the vulnerability of elephants at ‘bais’ and when migrating outside the park boundaries, and threats … Continued
The sentencing of Kenyan ivory dealer Feisal Ali Mohamed to 20 years in prison in 2016 was a major milestone which sent a message around the world that ivory trafficking is a serious crime that can attract serious penalties. Feisal, however, appealed his sentence and his conviction was quashed by the courts on August 3, … Continued
Conservation Lower Zambezi (CLZ) supports Zambia’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) in fulfilling its mandate to manage and conserve wildlife in the Lower Zambezi National Park and surrounding Game Management Areas. This vast area is home to approximately 1,000 elephants and is contiguous with Mana Pools in Zimbabwe (separated only by the Zambezi … Continued
Once largely protected by its remoteness, new roads carved out of the forest as industrial logging expands into previously intact areas bordering the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park are increasingly placing this forest elephant stronghold at risk. In recent years the intensity and nature of poaching in the Nouabalé-Ndoki landscape has radically changed, with the increased presence … Continued