WWF SPECIES ACTION PLAN African Elephant 2007-2011 © WWF-Canon / Martin HARVEY WWF SPECIES ACTION PLAN - African Elephant 2007-2011 2 WWF SPECIES ACTION PLAN - African Elephant 2007-2011 WWF SPECIES ACTION PLAN African Elephant 2007-2011 Peter J. Stephenson 3 WWF SPECIES ACTION PLAN - African Elephant 2007-2011 This WWF Species Action Plan was written and edited by Peter J. Stephenson. The author is grateful to the following individuals who provided ideas, advice, input and help at various stages in the development of the action plan: Elies Arps, Inogwabini Bila-Isia, Stephen Blake, Julian Blanc, Steven Broad, Richard Carroll, Michael Case, Wendy Elliot, Sandrine Jimenez, George Kampamba, David Kpelle, Leonardo Lacerda, Keith Leggett, Sue Lieberman, Rob Little, Cyprian Malima, Stephanie Mansourian, Roland Melisch, Simon Milledge, Tom Milliken, Caroline Mitten, Helena Motta, Amanda Nickson, Leo Niskanen, Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu, Cliona O'Brien, Frans Schepers, Lisa Steel, Peter Sumbi, Russell Taylor, Martin Tchamba, Taye Teferi, Leonard Usongo, Chris Weaver, Mark Wright, Sabri Zain. Published in June 2007 by WWF - World Wide Fund for Nature (formerly World Wildlife Fund), CH- 1196, Gland, Switzerland Any reproduction in full or in part of this publication must mention the title and credit the above-mentioned publisher as the copyright owner. No photographs from this publication may be reproduced on the internet without prior authorization from WWF. The material and the geographical designations in this report do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of WWF concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. © text 2007 WWF All rights reserved Proposed citation: Stephenson, P.J. (2007). WWF Species Action Plan: African Elephant, 2007-2011. WWF, Gland, Switzerland. Front cover photo: African savanna elephant herd on the move in Amboseli National Park, Kenya. The female in the middle has exceptionally long tusks. Back cover photo: Male African forest elephant in early morning mist, Dzanga-Ndoki National Park, Central African Republic. Printed by Ropress, Zurich, Switzerland on Reprint FSC (with the cover on Aconda Verd Silk FSC), using vegetable oil-based inks. RePrint FSC contains 50% recycled post-consumer waste and 50% virgin wood fibre from well-managed forests certified in accordance with the rules of FSC. Ropress holds FSC chain of custody SGS-COC-0474. 4 WWF SPECIES ACTION PLAN - African Elephant 2007-2011 CONTENTS 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY................................................................................................................................. 2 2. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................. 3 2.1 BIOLOGY OF THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT.............................................................................................. 4 2.2 THE HISTORY OF AFRICAN ELEPHANT EXPLOITATION AND POPULATION DECLINE ........... 5 2.3 CURRENT ELEPHANT POPULATION LEVELS AND CONSERVATION STATUS ........................... 6 2.4 CURRENT ISSUES IN ELEPHANT CONSERVATION ........................................................................... 8 Poaching.......................................................................................................................................................... 8 Illegal Trade .................................................................................................................................................... 9 Habitat Destruction and Range Reduction .................................................................................................... 10 Human-Elephant Conflict ............................................................................................................................. 12 The Landscape Approach to Conservation and Transfrontier Collaboration in Elephant Management ....... 15 Enabling Environment for Elephant Management - Policy and Capacity..................................................... 16 Local Over-population and Related Management Options ........................................................................... 16 Socio-economic Considerations in Elephant Management........................................................................... 17 Sub-regional Differences in Elephant Threats, Status and Management ...................................................... 18 3. DEVELOPING WWF'S AFRICAN ELEPHANT PROGRAMME (2007-11): BUILDING ON LESSONS LEARNT............................................................................................................................................................... 18 3.1 ACHIEVEMENTS IN IMPLEMENTING WWF'S FIRST SPECIES ACTION PLAN FOR AFRICAN ELEPHANTS.................................................................................................................................................... 19 3.2 LESSONS LEARNT FROM IMPLEMENTING WWF'S FIRST AFRICAN ELEPHANT ACTION PLAN .......................................................................................................................................................................... 20 4. THREATS TO AFRICAN ELEPHANTS TO BE ADDRESSED BY WWF .................................................. 21 5. SELECTING PRIORITY ACTIONS AND LANDSCAPES: WHICH ELEPHANT POPULATIONS SHOULD WWF WORK ON?.............................................................................................................................. 22 5.1 CRITERIA FOR PRIORITIZING WWF'S WORK IN AFRICAN ELEPHANT LANDSCAPES............ 22 Elephant Landscape Assessment Criteria - Category A................................................................................ 23 Elephant Landscape Assessment Criteria - Category B ................................................................................ 24 Work Outside of Landscapes ........................................................................................................................ 25 5.2 PRIORITIZING WWF'S ACTIONS WITHIN AFRICAN ELEPHANT LANDSCAPES ........................ 25 6. PROGRAMME MISSION................................................................................................................................ 26 6.1 VISION....................................................................................................................................................... 26 6.2 GOAL ......................................................................................................................................................... 26 6.3 OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................................................................. 26 7. PROGRAMME INTERVENTION................................................................................................................... 27 7.1 KEY ACTIVITIES AND INDICATORS TO MEET PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES.............................. 27 7.2 PRIORITY AFRICAN ELEPHANT LANDSCAPES................................................................................ 30 7.3 OPERATIONAL PRINCIPLES ................................................................................................................. 31 7.4 CONTRIBUTION TO WWF ECO-REGIONAL TARGETS .................................................................... 31 7.5 APPROACH TOWARDS DEVELOPING NEW ELEPHANT INITIATIVES......................................... 31 7.6 PROGRAMME PARTNERS AND TARGET BENEFICIARIES............................................................. 32 7.7 PROGRAMME CO-ORDINATION: HUMAN RESOURCES, ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ..... 32 The AEP Co-ordinator .................................................................................................................................. 32 Communications and Administration............................................................................................................ 32 7.8 PROGRAMME MONITORING, EVALUATION AND LESSON SHARING ........................................ 33 7.9 PROGRAMME FUND-RAISING.............................................................................................................. 33 7.10 PROGRAMME SUSTAINABILITY ....................................................................................................... 34 ANNEX 1: ACRONYMS USED IN THE TEXT................................................................................................. 35 ANNEX 2: MAP OF ELEPHANT RANGE IN AFRICA.................................................................................... 36 ANNEX 3: SUMMARY OF ELEPHANT POPULATION NUMBERS ACROSS AFRICA ............................. 37 ANNEX 4: SUMMARY OF THREATS FACING KEY ELEPHANT HABITAT TYPES AND ECOREGIONS ACROSS AFRICA ............................................................................................................................................... 38 ANNEX 5: ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS - THREATS FACING AFRICAN ELEPHANTS............................... 41 ANNEX 6: ANALYSIS TO DETERMINE WWF PRIORITY ELEPHANT LANDSCAPES............................ 42 ANNEX 7: RANKING OF WWF PRIORITY ELEPHANT LANDSCAPES BY SUB-REGION...................... 50 ANNEX 8: MAPS SHOWING LOCATION OF WWF PRIORITY AFRICAN ELEPHANT LANDSCAPES IN EACH SUB-REGION........................................................................................................................................... 54 ANNEX 9: PLANNING TERMINOLOGY........................................................................................................