CMS asks: Is the future of the African Elephant at stake?

9th March 2012

African Elephant. Photographer: Stephen BlakeThe recent accounts of poaching of close to 450 elephants in Bouba Ndjida National Park in northern Cameroon increase the concerns about the future of elephants in Africa.

The Secretary-General of CITES stressed in his Press Release of 28th February 2012 that “This most recent incident of poaching elephants is on a massive scale but it reflects a new trend we are detecting across many range States, where well-armed poachers with sophisticated weapons decimate elephant populations, often with impunity. The CITES programme for Monitoring Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) has revealed increasing levels of poaching in 2011“.

The CMS Secretariat in a statement on their website fully supports the CITES statement and expresses grave concern about this increase in elephant poaching all over Africa. The CMS Secretariat has contacted the responsible Minister in Cameroon to express its deep concerns and requested more information on this incident. If the International Community fails to combat this kind of wildlife crime successfully, the future of the African Elephant will be at stake.

Addressing the other half of the equation for Central African Elephants
Two species of African elephant are currently listed under CMS Appendix II African elephant, Loxodonta africana, and African forest elephant, Loxodonta cyclotis. A very high proportion of the elephant habitat in the Central African region is tropical forest and not surprisingly African forest elephants are found within this habitat. The Central African region also includes savannah elephant populations. Both of these occur throughout the Congo Basin, in Chad, northern CAR and northern Cameroon, with possible areas of hybridisation in northern and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and possible southern Central African Republic (CAR).

The direct factors threatening elephant populations in Central Africa can be divided into two groups of threats. Ivory demand and law enforcement (poaching) are where the vast majority of international effort is currently focused. However, bushmeat demand, human-elephant conflict and habitat loss are presently not well coordinated nor focused and are the key areas where CMS might usefully contribute.

During CMS’s 10th Conference of the Parties (November 2011) Cameroon, on behalf of the Central African CMS Parties once again reiterated that CMS progress a conservation initiative for Central African Elephants remained a key priority for the region.

Cameroon and Congo confirmed their desire to proceed with a facilitated consultation between Central African Parties. Cameroon, supported by Congo, indicated they would be ready to take a leading role in this process.

The Migratory Wildlife Network has also written to Cameroon expressing our deep concerns and seeking a reiteration of their commitment made during CMS CoP10.

More information about the CMS comment is available on the CMS website