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Kylie Park
African forest elephants, animals that used to be used to be widely common among the areas of Central and West Africa, have started to go extinct. This has become a widely urgent issue as they are known to be a key element to the ecosystem. Between 2002 and 2011 alone, their population decreased by around 62% and by more than 86% over the past 30 years.
Weston, Phoebe. “Hundreds of Elephants Dead in Mysterious Mass Die-Off.” The Guardian, 1 July 2020, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/01/more-than-350-elephants-dead-in-mysterious-mass-die-off-botswana-aoe.
Forest elephants have served as an ecosystems mediator and protector by taking on the duty of spreading seeds, promoting tree growth, and preserving the wellbeing of rainforests. However, as their numbers shrink, forest ecosystems have started to destabilize. In fact, in some regions, scientists have reported that forests have started struggling to regenerate properly due to the absence of these elephants.
The numbers of these elephants only continue to decrease as illegal ivory trade remains widely popular, while expanding agriculture, logging, mining and infrastructure fragment and destroy forest habitats.
Despite international protections, tougher anti-poaching patrols, habitat reserves, and support from conservation groups, the limited amount of time is retraining the impact they have on this problem. In fact, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has officially listed the African forest elephant as “Critically Endangered.”
Allowing these elephants to go extinct runs the risk of these forests disappearing, weakening the planet's ability to store carbon, control the climate, and support rich biodiversity will be lost if the forests disappear.
Works cited
“African Elephants Face Extinction If Not Protected.” Anadolu Ajansı, www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/african-elephants-face-extinction-if-not-protected/2189138.
“African Forest Elephant.” World Wildlife Fund, www.worldwildlife.org/species/forest-elephant.
Davis, Josh. “African Elephants Now Listed as Endangered and Critically Endangered.” Natural History Museum, www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2021/march/african-elephants-now-listed-endangered-critically-endangered.html.
“Forest Elephant.” WCS Gabon, gabon.wcs.org/en-us/Wildlife/Forest-Elephant.aspx.
“Forest Elephants Struggle for Survival.” Down To Earth, www.downtoearth.org.in/news/wildlife-biodiversity/forest-elephants-struggle-for-survival-75836.
Maisels, Fiona, et al. “Devastating Decline of Forest Elephants in Central Africa.” PLoS ONE, vol. 8, no. 3, 2013, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3587600/.
“African Elephants.” IUCN Red List, www.iucnredlist.org/species/12392/3339343.
“Forest Elephants Declared Critically Endangered.” Al Jazeera, www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/25/african-forest-elephants-declared-critically-endangered.
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