By Herp News
Tens of thousands of African elephants are poached every year for their ivory, which has had a drastic impact on population numbers. According to The Nature Conservancy, the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) population declined from 1.2 million individuals in 1980 to just 430,000 in 2014. Conservationists have long argued that, because community and private lands support 60% of Africa’s wildlife, conservation efforts must recognize the vital role of local communities in protecting elephants, rhinos and other key species. Now, a report released by Northern Rangelands Trust, which works with 27 community-led wildlife conservancies in northern Kenya that protect more than 6 million acres, provides compelling empirical evidence that community conservation is indeed an effective means of protecting wildlife. Since 2012, elephant poaching is down some 35 percent in the 27 community conservancies the NRT works with, the report says. A total of 81 elephant mortality cases were recorded by NRT rangers in 2014, with 28 of them being poaching cases, Ian Craig, NRT’s director of conservation, writes in the report. There were 49 poaching cases in 2013. African elephant. Photo by Matt Miller / The Nature Conservancy. “A concerted effort by the Government of Kenya working in partnership with stakeholders has contributed to this reduction,” Craig writes. Last year also saw substantial increases in the amount of ivory and weapons recovered, as well as a higher number of arrests — from 5 in 2013 to 19 in 2014 — according to the report. A recent study…
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