Bibi van der Zee - The plight of elephants
An estimated 25,000 elephants are killed every year in Africa for their tusks, double the number killed in 2007.
The future of this
particular species is precariously balanced. Although in some areas (a very
few) elephant herds are expanding and thriving, the overall picture is one of
decline, with falls of as
much as 60% in elephant population in countries such as Tanzania.
Photograph: DSWT/Barcroft Images
With your help, we
want to probe some of the different factors that have led us here. We’ve opened
with an essay from wildlife specialist Patrick
Barkham, looking at the awe-inspiring lineage of the modern elephant, and a summary of
the current situation. In the months to come we’ll be looking at this species
in close detail - both past and future. How can we conserve that future? What
really works? What happens if you pull away a ‘keystone species’?
We’ll also be looking
into the modern ivory trade. Who are the criminals behind these international
networks? Where does the ivory go (not always where you’d think) and how does
it get there? We’ll dig into the economics of different policy approaches, the
people who make the big decisions, and the countries who have managed to change
their ivory culture and cut demand.
Finally we’ll be
talking to the people on the frontline in Africa, Asia and Europe; the rangers
and investigators and campaigners, some of whom risk their lives regularly to
protect Loxodonta africana and Elephas maximus. An
inspiring network of conservationists from China, Africa, the US is at work on
behalf of elephants, and other species, and is growing in strength and power.
With your support we can make that global network stronger and more powerful
still.
