Table of contents Preface . .iv The people behind the audit . .iv elephant family . .iv Conservation Direct . .iv Executive Summary: The state of wild Asian elephant conservation in 2003 . .v Independent conservation audits . .v Investing in elephant conservation . .v The state of wild Asian elephant conservation . .v Capacity to conserve wild elephants . .vi Challenges for society, government and NGOs . .vii Society at large . .vii The elephant conservation establishment . .vii Section I: Introduction to the report and study . .2 Scope and aims . .2 Terms of reference . .2 The broader issue of NGO transparency & accountability . .2 Target audience and report structure . .3 Assessment approach and methods . .3 Needs of elephants . .3 Comparative scorecards . .3 Conceptual basis of the assessment framework . .4 The scorecard rating system . .4 Data and information collection . .5 Section II: Condition of wild elephants and their habitat . .7 Elephant distribution: trends over time . .7 The causes of declining elephant numbers . .8 Assessing the status of wild elephants and the threats to their conservation . .8 Rationale behind the scorecard structure . .8 Findings: the current status of wild Asian elephants . .9 Country findings . .10 The political dimension of elephant population declines . .11 War & civil strife . .11 Politically driven settlement of elephant habitat . .11 Section III: Countries’ capacity to conserve wild elephant populations . .14 Essential systems and institutions for elephant conservation . .14 Comparative assessment of a country’s capacity to conserve elephants . .14 Country scorecard assessment system . .14 General themes arising from the analysis . .16 Laws compared to implementation capacity . .16 Cultural empathy with elephants and will . .19 The role of the media . .21 Status of science and knowledge . .22 The need for a vision . .22 Section IV: Conservation charities and Asian elephant conservation . .25 How NGOs can make a difference: their role in Asian elephant conservation . .25 Government perceptions on conservation NGOs . .26 How conservation NGOs with elephant projects are organising themselves . .27 The structure of the NGO community . .27 Asia-wide elephant conservation networks . .28 NGO partnerships with scientific institutions . .28 Thematic areas of conservation activity . .29 Counting and mapping wild elephants . .29 Employing international financial levers . .31 Resettlement and forest restoration . .33 Strengthening enforcement. .33 Piloting community-based means to control crop raiding. .34 The quality and impact of elephant conservation projects . .37 A ‘Project Scorecard’ assessment methodology . .37 Projects considered . .38 Findings of the scorecard analysis . .38 Endpiece: Reflections on conducting an independent conservation audit . .46 State of Asian Elephant Conservation in 2003 i List of Boxes Box 1 The scorecard system . .5 Box 2 Worked example of a method for rating strength of system elements . .6 Box 3 Underlying values and baseline assumptions of the assessment framework . .6 Box 4 Contraction.