Loxodonta africana (Blumenbach, 1797)
LEGAL STATUS
In October 1989 the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) transferred the African Elephant from Appendix II to Appendix I. However, six countries have since taken out reservations under CITE
S (Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe) which enables them to treat their populations of elephants as if listed on Appendix II. Two range states (Angola and Swaziland) remain non-parties to CITES.10
In 1992 proposals from 5 African countries to put elephants on Appendix II were withdrawn by their proponents at the conference of the parties.20 In 1994, Sudan and South Africa initially put forward similar proposals, but S
outh Africa finally submitted a proposal to enable trade in elephant hide and meat in the first instance and to postpone talks concerning trade in ivory until the 1997 Conference of the Parties.10
In late 1994, the Lusaka Agreement was adopted by Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia in order to "reduce and ultimately eliminate illegal trade in wild fauna and flora and to establish a permanent task force
for this purpose".18
Source: African Elephant Database of IUCN/SSC/AESG March 1996.13
There are two survey methods for elephants: aerial and ground counts. Aerial surveys are only suitable for areas where elephants occur in savannah habitat; ground counts are the only techniques by which estimates can be obtained for forest elephant popula
tions.13 Because of great variation in data quality, the AESG has not published a total continent estimate.
Changes in national estimates do not necessarily reflect true population change; more often, improvement in survey techniques leads to better estimates being produced or new estimates in areas previously unsurveyed.13
Major population: Important populations of African elephants are thought to occur in Congo, Gabon, Zaire, Tanzania, Botswana and Zimbabwe.
<---- Contents
|