New decisions by global conservation group bolster efforts to save Africa’s elephants

Two big decisions have been made in the last few weeks in relation to African elephants that will have major implications for the survival of the giant mammals.

The first is that a global body devoted to the conservation of elephants in Africa recognised the African elephant as two species: forest and savanna. Previously they had been considered a single species. This matters because their individual populations are smaller than when recognised as a single species, and because they face shared as well as unique threats.

Secondly, in March, the International Union for Conservation of Nature updated its Red List, and moved African elephants into more threatened classifications. As a single species, African elephants were previously listed as “Vulnerable”, because there had been a reduction of more than 30% of the population in the past three generations.

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