ELEPHANT UPDATE. Recent News from the WWF African Elephant Programme. WCS / Stephen Blake

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1 ELEPHANT UPDATE Recent News from the WWF African Elephant Programme WCS / Stephen Blake Number 4 May 2004

2 Cover pho: Salonga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, viewed from the air. The MIKE (Moniring the Illegal Killing of Elephants) Programme conducted the first systematic survey across this conservation landscape that, at some 36,000 km 2, is larger than many countries. Outputs of the survey go way beyond the immediate needs of MIKE this information will drive conservation planning (see sry on page 1). This edition of Elephant Update was compiled and edited by PJ Stephenson. Elephant Update provides recent news on the conservation work funded by the WWF African Elephant Programme. It is aimed at WWF staff and WWF's partners such as range state governments, international and national non-governmental organizations, and donors. It will be published at least once per year. Published in May 2004 by WWF - World Wide Fund for Nature (formerly World Wildlife Fund), CH- 1196, Gland, Switzerland Any reproduction in full or in part of this publication mu st mention the title and credit the above-mentioned publisher as the copyright owner. No phographs from this publication may be reproduced on the internet without prior authorization from WWF. The material and the geographical designations in this report do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of WWF concerning the legal status of any country, terriry, or area, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. text 2004 WWF All rights reserved In 2000 WWF launched a new African Elephant Programme. Building on 40 years of experience in elephant conservation, WWF s new initiative aims provide strategic field interventions help guarantee a future for this threatened species. The long-term goal of the African Elephant Programme is: conserve forest and savanna elephant populations in Africa. WWF s elephant interventions are organised around 4 objectives. Objective 1 (Protection and Management): To reduce the illegal killing of elephants through improved protection and management Objective 2 (Capacity Building): To increase capacity within range states conserve and manage elephants Objective 3 (Conflict Mitigation): To increase public support for elephant conservation by reducing conflict Objective 4 (Trade Controls): To reduce the illegal trade in elephant products For further information on the WWF African Elephant Programme please check our website: or contact: Dr Peter J. Stephenson African Elephant Programme WWF International Avenue du Mont Blanc CH 1196 Gland Switzerland Tel: PJStephenson@wwfint.org

3 INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1 ARTICLES 1 Counting elephants in forests: the MIKE Programme in central Africa 4 Mitigating human-elephant conflict in Tanzania: WWF's work around Selous Game Reserve 7 NEWS FROM THE FIELD 7 The elephants of Quirimbas continue get a hot reception 8 More ivory than elephants in three west African countries 9 WWF and its partners forge new alliance combat human-elephant conflict 10 Canon helps profile WWF-funded work in Kenya 11 NEWS FROM BEYOND THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT PROGRAMME 11 Elephants and ivory at the CITES Standing Committee meeting 12 Elephant News Service 13 WWF AFRICAN ELEPHANT PROGRAMME - PROJECT PORTFOLIO ARTICLES Counting elephants in forests: the MIKE Programme in central Africa Stephen Blake Forest Elephant Conservation Coordinar, Wildlife Conservation Society ( sblake@wcs.org) Moniring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) is an international programme established through the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). MIKE is an ambitious programme with a global vision and a broad goal provide the information needed for elephant range states make appropriate management and law enforcement decisions, and build institutional capacity for the long-term management of their elephant populations. MIKE has a suite of important objectives: To measure levels and trends in the illegal hunting of elephants To determine changes in these trends over time To determine the facrs influencing such changes and try and assess what extent observed trends are a result of any decisions taken by CITES To establish an information base support the making of decisions on appropriate management, protection and enforcement needs. To build capacity in range states To achieve these objectives, the MIKE programme is divided in two main types of activities. Firstly, a law enforcement moniring programme attempts reinforce capacity collect, compile, manage, and analyse data, and disseminate information on evidence of illegal killing and law enforcement measures. Secondly, elephant population surveys at selected sites throughout the range of the African elephant are designed provide estimates of the abundance of elephants at these sites as a baseline for long-term population moniring. In 2002, the WWF African Elephant Programme, along with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and the European Commission committed funds support the implementation of elephant invenries that MIKE needed in a number of important conservation areas in the forests of central Africa. This set out build on lessons learned from a MIKE pilot phase conducted in the region in In recognition of its long hisry of extensive field research and moniring of forest elephants and its role in co-ordinating the MIKE Pilot Programme, the MIKE Direcrate and the central African Wildlife Direcrs asked WCS provide technical coordination and management of the forest elephant invenry programme. Field implementation was conducted in collaboration with national governments and non-governmental organizations working on site. In central Africa, seven sites in six countries were chosen for forest elephant population surveys be conducted between : Salonga (Democratic Republic of Congo - DRC), Nouabalé-Ndoki (Republic of Congo), Bangassou and Dzanga-Sangha (Central African Republic), Boumba Bek (Cameroon), Monte Allen (Equarial Guinea) and Minkébé (Gabon) (see Figure 1). 1

4 Figure 1. Central African MIKE forest elephant invenry sites Challenges of working in forests In the savannas of eastern and southern Africa, moniring elephant population trends and illegal killing has been routinely practised for decades through aerial surveys. Methods, including sample and tal counts of both live elephants and carcasses, are well undersod and analysis procedures are well developed. However in the forests of central Africa, which may contain one third of Africa s elephants, aerial surveys are obviously impossible, and other methods are required. Currently, the acc- WWF-Canon / Martin Harvey A forest elephant in central Africa. Censusing these animals is a labour intensive job which involves walking transects in the forest and counting dung. -epted method for estimating forest elephant abundance involves extrapolating from dung counts conducted on foot. If one can estimate 1) the density of elephant dung within a survey area, 2) the rate at which dung decays, and 3) the rate at which elephants defecate then the density of elephants can be calculated by the equation: Elephant Density = Dung pile density x Decay rate Defecation rate Estimating dung decay rate and defecation rate for elephants in thick forest is not easy, and there are still no watertight methods. In addition, elephant surveys are technically complex, highly labour intensive, time consuming and expensive. These surveys are also physically very difficult for field workers sustain for the long periods necessary cover extensive areas on foot. Added this, the capacity for this work, both in terms of human and financial resources, is extremely limited in central Africa, and logistical support available for operating in much of the forest region is poor. There was no doubt that developing and implementing a programme such as this in central Africa would be a truly enormous challenge for the MIKE programme, and that is proving be the case! 2

5 As an example of the scale of the challenge, imagine the work that had be undertaken in Salonga National Park in DRC. Salonga lies in the heart of this immense country and it takes some 4-5 days of continuous travel in small morised dugout canoes (pirogues) from the Congo River simply get the park's western border. With an area of nearly 36,000 km 2, the park is bigger than countries such as Belgium, Holland, or Denmark, and is nestled within the heart of the second largest tropical forest on earth. Before the invenry team started work, there was no one on the ground with the capacity for implementing MIKE. However, as a result of this project there were first two and now four technical teams systematically surveying the park for the first time. However, the scale of this work must still be taken in context: teams are on foot in a rain forest with swamps negotiate, 100m-wide rivers cross, and treks of over a month at a time get in the heart of the park. The teams are frequently several days walk from the nearest village, and hundreds of miles from a telephone or electricity. Porters may be transporting 30 kg of food and equipment for weeks at a time. Added this are the instabilities in the region there are still hostile militia in many parts of Salonga and organised ele phant poachers with semiaumatic weapons. Salonga is an extreme case, but it is under these kinds of conditions that woefully under-manned and under-funded MIKE survey teams are operating. It will be a tribute the determination of these field teams if MIKE can come close achieving its objectives in the forests of central Africa. Progress date In spite of the logistical difficulties, all but one site has been tackled. Unfortunately, budgetary shortfalls meant that the Monte Alen National Park could not be surveyed this time around, but MIKE is hopeful that this site certainly the most important area remaining for forest elephants in Equarial Guinea - can be invenried in Activities conducted at each site revolved around: identifying and training the MIKE team leaders in all aspects of implementing surveys and analysing data conducting elephant and large mammal population invenries (with a particular emphasis on great apes) 3 defining the survey limits of each site and developing site base maps in association with the MIKE analytical team refining and publishing survey methodologies assisting in the development of information flow from sites national officers providing an assessment of the relationship of large mammal population distribution and abundance identified variables at the site level. MIKE implementation at each site was conducted in five stages: 1) Initial contact, site contracting of partners, recruitment of teams; 2) Field survey training (two workshops were held in the field followed by on-site training); 3) Site reconnaissance and quality control; 4) Field surveys and data management; 5) Analytical training and data analysis. Key achievements include the fact that fullscale surveys are now nearing completion in five of the seven MIKE sites (Salonga, Nouabalé-Ndoki, Dzanga-Sangha, Boumba Bek, and Minkébé). Fieldwork has already been completed in the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park and its buffer zones, and data will be ready for preliminary analysis shortly. In Bangassou, MIKE is repeating survey routes first conducted in 1988, and will be extending the survey in areas never previously visited. In July and August 2004, on the completion of fieldwork in all sites, a final training course will be held in which field team leaders will analyse their hard won field data and report on the population and conservation status of forest elephants and apes in these critical protected areas. A spatial modelling exercise is planned, which will refine abundance estimates, map the distribution of elephants across the landscapes, and identify and quantify the facrs which influence the distribution of these species. This initiative represents a massive step forward in developing the capacity necessary continue important elephant survey work in the future. The actions undertaken by the MIKE teams will lead the development of appropriate survey methods, the reinforcement of national-level capacity monir elephants, and provide data of use protected area managers and other decision-makers. In spite of progress, however, it is pertinent note that this entire initiative may have cost

6 For more information on MIKE see: ml For more information on the work of WCS see: WCS / Stephen Blake Training MIKE survey teams in the Dja Reserve, Cameroon. Getting moniring teams in the field is a critical part of conservation. Every day MIKE teams are discovering new information in the heart of some of the most vital conservation areas for the survival of forest elephants. Only by getting their feet wet and spending significant amounts of time and effort patrolling in the forest can they assess the conservation status of forest elephants, monir change, and understand what is truly happening beneath the canopy roughly half a million US dollars; this approximates an investment of only US$6 per square kilometre in the areas surveyed. This (if the crisis was not so serious) is laughably inadequate meet the challenge. The equarial forest block of central Africa is one of the richest habitats on earth, and forest elephants play a critic al role in the functioning and evolution of the ecosystem. Forest elephants are being killed every day, forests are being depleted by illegal logging and encroachment, and we are currently investing a mere US$6 per square kilometre in only parts of the ecosystem in order try and determine how best sustain it! How many western-based people watch wildlife documentaries about elephants? Literally millions every year. But we are still seeing a serious decline in funds being made available the elephant's habitat, in spite of the dependence of poverty trapped local communities, who need the continuation of this ecosystem as much as the elephants. If we do not invest adequately and immediately in conservation, those very wildlife documentaries will be relegated the Hisry Channel, and the poverty of local forest dwellers will be increased, not reduced. Mitigating human-elephant conflict in Tanzania: WWF's work around Selous Game Reserve Cyprian Malima Project Executant, WWF Selous Project, WWF Tanzania Programme. cmalima@wwftz.org The hisry of elephants in Selous The Selous ecosystem encompasses Selous Game Reserve, Kilombero Game Controlled Areas, Mikumi National Park and several public lands. This area of approximately 105,000 km 2 is estimated harbour some 67,000 elephants - about 60% of Tanzania s tal population. Of these, 20% are found outside the protected areas, though the percentage may fluctuate depending on the season and the intensity of human activities such as agriculture, poaching, legal hunting and problem animal control. The population is still not as large as it was in the 1970s - an aerial census in 1976 estimated 110,000 elephants in Selous. But the intense poaching of the 1970s and 1980s reduced Selous's elephants some 30,000 animals by The Tanzanian Government's crack down on poaching across the country in 1989's "Operation Uhai", combined with the ban on ivory trade enforced by CITES, turned the tide and numbers have been steadily increasing since. However, this may not be such good news for local people. Communities living in the Selous ecosystem have always co-existed with wildlife including elephants. These communities were primarily hunters and artisinal farmers conducting shifting cultivation. People living adjacent oxbow lakes or large rivers such as the Rufiji, Kilombero or Ruaha practise fishing. Livesck keeping has never been carried out successfully in the area because of the prevalence of tsetse flies. Different ethical taboos restricted the exploitation of wildlife. 4

7 The colonial German administration promulgated the first provisions aimed at protecting wildlife species in Tanganyika. Regulations control hunting were instituted in 1891, and these were revised every few years thereafter. Game Reserves were established in the early twentieth century - Selous being created in After the First World War, Tanganyika became a British Protecrate and established the game department in This had a threefold mandate of protecting people and crops from marauding game animals, enforcing hunting regulations, and preserving wildlife through administering game reserves. The postindependence era saw the government of Tanzania continue conserve its resources, and it has set aside about 25% of the national terriry as wildlife protected areas. Both the enactment of wildlife laws and the subsequent setting up of protected areas excluded communities from the resources they used have access. Consequently the level of community lerance wildlife on their village land became very low. Elephants continue be lerated less than other species because they cause negative impacts on village livelihoods through raiding agricultural fields, eating food in sres, destroying water sources, killing or causing permanent disabilities people and interfering with the normal schedule of communities. Communities have been employing several traditional methods reduce the rate of elephant raids on their fields. These include banging tins and shouting, setting fires at the periphery of the fields, constructing simple barriers around the houses, and shooting (by both communities as well as Wildlife Scouts) scare or kill raiding elephants. In some places these methods have only short-term effects because elephants become habituated. Since the start of the twentieth century, the control of elephants has been the responsibility of the local government wildlife personnel, with back up from district and regional game officers. But recently, due downsizing in the Government, most out-posted scouts were retrenched leaving few game scouts at each District headquarters. This lack of Wildlife Department capacity means that the control of problem animals is now largely in the hands of communities. This is problematic since many communities do not have the capacity deal with the problem effectively, so their support for game reserves and their wildlife has further 5 decreased. As elephant numbers continue increase in Selous the problem of humanelephant conflict will only get worse. WWF / Cyprian Malima Rice field in Mloka village, Rufiji District. This is in an area frequently raided by elephants. The WWF project WWF has initiated a human-elephant conflict (HEC) project in the eastern zone of Selous Game Reserve, in the Districts of Rufiji, Kilwa and Liwale. The project is both studying HEC and helping villages introduce and apply modern HEC mitigation ols, building on experiences and lessons from elsewhere in Africa. Local enumerars were recruited and trained with help from the IUCN/SSC African Elephant Specialist Group. They then went on collect data using standardized procols establish what kinds of conflicts exist between elephants and people, what crops the elephants eat and when, the seriousness of raiding incidences, and the age and sex composition of the herds involved. They also record the number of elephants shot during the protection of human life and property. Moniring HEC Communities in the study area believe that elephants cause most of the agricultural crop destruction that leads local famine. In Ruf iji District crop raiding has been concentrated within or adjacent elephant routes used access water sources. Elephants are more or less resident in the Liwale area because it is a

8 catchment area from which most of the rivers traversing Selous originate. Even in the parts of Kilwa district most remote from the reserve, elephants are more or less resident due the availability of water from the Matandu River springs. Crops attacked by elephants vary between districts and between seasons. Maize and peas are the most vulnerable crops in both Rufiji and Kilwa districts. These crops are grown in small plots along the rivers or in valley botms where moisture is retained in the soil even during the dry season. Elephants in Liwale are highly focussed on cassava fields (see Table 1). Among fruiting plants, elephants in the study area seem prefer cashew nut, banana and mango trees in different districts (Table 2). Table 1: Crops attacked by elephants, July- December K=Kilwa, L=Liwale, R=Rufiji. Crops No. incidences by district K L R Maize Millet Sugar cane Cassava Sweet pota Peas Mixed crops Vegetables TOTAL Table 2: Fruit trees attacked by elephants, July-December K=Kilwa, L=Liwale, R=Rufiji. Crops No. incidences by district K L R Banana Cashew nut Orange Mango Pawpaw Coconut TOTAL where the damage is due trampling on route water sources. Small dry season farmers and isolated fields developed through shifting cultivation are more prone being destroyed by crop-raiding. Larger-scale plots, including large fruit tree orchards, are more resilient damage and whole fields are not lost in one raid. Mitigating HEC In five villages, farmers were assisted in setting up oil-chilli rope barriers. These are simple rope fences smeared with a mix of chilli and engine oil, as developed by the Elephant Pepper Development Trust and as already tested in sites such as Quirimbas in Mozambique and Transmara in Kenya (see Elephant Update 3). Initially the project supplied sisal ropes, chilli and used oil. Later on a trial using locally made ropes proved equally effective. The initial pilots provide grounds for optimism. People who applied the oil-chilli rope method managed harvest their crops, whereas in previous years much of the harvest was lost. Consequently there have been numerous requests from nearby villages replicate the method. This new HEC mitigation initiative has empowered local communities look after their own fields. It has also reduced their traditional reliance on the overstretched Wildlife Division deal with HEC - whose strategy has usually involved killing a few animals (not necessarily the culprits). Raiding was mostly conducted by mixed groups of two or more animals. Where a single elephant was involved, it was usually a male. Since the raids involved groups of elephants, and the fact that non-rain fed crops are relatively small, elephants usually destroyed most of the crops in a field, except in areas 6 WWF-Canon / PJ Stephenson An elephant feeding in a river. Around Selous, many elephants survive outside protected areas in habitats where there are permanent water sources.

9 The challenge over the next crop-raiding season is set up pilot sites in other villages, and increase the use of locally available materials so that eventually farmers can be self-sufficient. Other deterrents will also need be tested. Another challenge remains increase collaboration between farmers defend their fields, and develop village land use plans that help reduce HEC. Such communal planning and collaboration has already been started around Selous through the new Wildlife Management Area system, so there is a precedent. Villages involved in such community-based conservation activities come see elephants as a source of revenue through urism and thus worth protecting. If the impact of crop-raiding can be further reduced, it is hoped that people can start live alongside elephants and still experience sustainable development. For information on WWF's work in Tanzania, and for more details of the Selous project, see: work/africa/where/eastern_africa/tanzania protection activities. A further twenty park guards have undergone conservation training at Gorongosa Wildlife College and military training in Pemba. In December 2003, representatives of all remaining communities inside the park were trained in HEC mitigation techniques in the Bilibiza Farm School. The project then distributed materials villages allow them get started on HEC mitigation. The material distributed so far includes 20,000 metres of coconut rope, 20 sacks (2,000 kg) of chilli (the very hot sacana variety), 10 drums (2,000 litres) of old engine oil, and 12 tins (240 litres) of grease. One of the main thrusts of the programme has been support District administrations take over full responsibility for the mitigation of HEC. This has been accomplished, with a depot of materials established in each District and the local administrations distributing materials and offering help villagers. Community rangers lead HEC mitigation activities on the ground, while higher-level park staff involve themselves with setting up new wildlife committees, and supporting villages in emergencies. NEWS FROM THE FIELD The elephants of Quirimbas continue get a hot reception The WWF African Elephant Programme's support for Quirimbas National Park in Mozambique (see Elephant Update No. 3) has moved in a second phase. By September 2004 the project aims extend human elephant conflict management and elephant protection all forty communities in the park buffer zone, and replicate successful HEC mitigation methods in at least three additional districts beyond the park. The project will also census the Quirimbas elephant population and work with local stakeholders develop elephant migrary and management corridors. These will have the dual purpose of facilitating human development and elephant conservation within Cabo Delgado and neighbouring Provinces. Progress has already been made in several areas. A vehicle and equipment have been procured for park staff allow them manage HEC mitigation and elephant WWF / Peter Bechtel Using chilli bombs in Quirimbas. WWF project executant Peter Bechtel showing villagers how set light chilli bombs. These create acrid smoke which scares off elephants. The project team also ended up providing help local farmers when their cassava crops failed. After the cassava harvest, stalks are usually planted in dry ground in August- September. These develop some roots and start grow properly when the rains return. This year, elephants came and destroyed the stalks. As Peter Bechtel, WWF Quirimbas Project Executant, explained, "No one was prepared for elephant damage during this time as the 7

10 harvest was already in. Cassava stalks were damaged by elephants and those that survived later died as rains were so late this year". The WWF team decided offer support by providing cassava planting material the four affected villages. Peter said, "We provided this emergency support so that people would see that the park is responsive their needs and reduce the negative perceptions people have of elephants". "There is also a lesson here: field defence activities need be maintained throughout the year, or cassava stalks should be guarded in the village and only planted out after the first rains". Peter added, "This newly-discovered problem also highlights the need for establishing fields in blocks. The process has started but is not yet complete as it takes at least three years for people exhaust the fertility of old fields and be ready open new ones". For more information see: or (in Portuguese) or contact Peter Bechtel, Project Executant, Quirimbas National Park, WWF Mozambique Programme (gecoren@teledata.mz) More ivory than elephants in three west African countries As reported in the last edition of Elephant Update, in 2002 WWF supported TRAFFIC in conducting studies of the domestic ivory markets in three West African countries: Nigeria, Côte d'ivoire and Senegal. Draft reports were produced before the CITES Conference of the Parties in Chile in November They revealed clear and worrying links between unregulated domestic ivory markets and the illegal international trade. TRAFFIC published the final report in late The full TRAFFIC/WWF Online report No8 entitled More Ivory than Elephants: Domestic Ivory Markets in Three West African Countries by Marianne Courouble, Francis Hurst and Tom Milliken can be downloaded off the internet at It can also be found at africanivoryreport.pdf. A WWF/TRAFFIC press release of 15 December 2003 launched this important publication: There is more illegal ivory than elephants in three key ivory trading countries in West Africa, according a new report launched day by TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade moniring network and WWF, the conservation organization. Undercover investigars visited nine cities in Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Senegal and found more than 4000 kg of ivory on public display - a volume that represents the ivory of more than 760 elephants. According recent IUCN data there may not be any more than 543 elephants in these countries. "These studies show just a snapshot of the problem," said Tom Milliken, direcr of TRAFFIC East/Southern Africa and co-author of the report. "When we facr in all of the uncontrolled manufacturing, buying and selling over a year, these numbers climb frightening dimensions." The TRAFFIC/WWF report More Ivory than Elephants: Domestic Ivory Markets in Three West African Countries highlights that these unregulated markets are the principal forces driving elephant poaching. Much of the ivory found on sale came from the war rn Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Central African Republic and Gabon. These countries make up Africa's most troubled region for elephant conservation. The principal buyers of this ivory are expatriates, urists and business people from Europe (France and Italy), the Far East (China and Korea), the United States, and even diplomatic staff in some instances. The report also found that inadequate legislation and poor law enforcement in Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Senegal are threatening the survival of elephants in these countries and central Africa. All three governments are in breach of ivory market control requirements under international regulations governing the trade in endangered wildlife species (CITES). Furthermore, the wildlife authorities responsible for implementing CITES are systematically barred from the ports of entry and exit. 8

11 Maija Sirola, Communications Co-ordinar, TRAFFIC Dr PJ Stephenson, Co-ordinar, WWF Afric - an Elephant Programme (PJStephenson@ wwfint.org) Dr Susan Lieberman, Direcr of WWF International's Species Programme (slieber man@wwf.org.uk) Claire Doole, Head of Press, WWF International (cdoole@wwfint.org) TRAFFIC / Simon Milledge A selection of ivory carvings. In the TRAFFIC study, ivory was found be easily accessible in the markets of west African countries that had very few elephants left. Much of the ivory was found have originated in central Africa in countries such as Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo. "Not only is there a lack of political will implement CITES, allowing traders act with immunity from prosecution, corruption is preventing effective controls on the ivory trade," said Dr Susan Lieberman, Direcr of WWF International's Species Programme. " It is time that Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Senegal ok concrete steps effectively implement CITES in their countries." The report says the situation in Nigeria is the most alarming, with higher volumes of ivory identified than in a previous undercover survey carried out in This country is already facing possible sanctions under CITES because of concerns about its ivory trade. If Nigeria fails comply with CITES requirements regulate internal trade in ivory by March 2004, it could find that all legal trade in CITES listed wildlife species and from the country is suspended. TRAFFIC and WWF hope that the findings of the surveys will prompt governments take urgent and positive action bring the domestic ivory trade under control in these countries. For further information please contact one of the following: Tom Milliken, Direcr of TRAFFIC East/South Africa (traffic@wwf.org.zw) 9 WWF and its partners forge new alliance combat human-elephant conflict As rural communities grow across Africa and as agriculture expands in traditional elephant range, there are increasing conflicts between people and elephants. Not only do elephants consume crops but they also sometimes cause additional damage villa ge infrastructure and, occasionally, people themselves. An elephant can eat more than 200 kg of food per day so even a small herd can decimate a farmer's livelihood over night. The situation is worse in communities living close forests and protected areas, though many people immigrate in such areas for the same reasons that the elephants are there an abundance of water and natural resources. The WWF African Elephant Programme is working with local communities across Africa develop and test human-elephant conflict (HEC) mitigation strategies that reduce the level of disturbance and damage caused by elephants. A number of other conservation agencies are also helping range state governments and communities deal with the problem. Therefore, in November 2003 WWF hosted a two-day workshop in Nairobi bring gether some of the key practitioners of HEC mitigation in eastern and southern Africa discuss how best expand and scale-up existing activities. Representatives attended from Kenya Wild life Service, WWF (staff from Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique), the Elephant Pepper Development Trust (who have pioneered many of the chilli-based deterrents), the IUCN Species Survival African Elephant Specialist Group (who have developed ols such as the Decision-Support System and standard moniring procols for HEC), the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (who

12 have long-term experience in the Transmara) and the Born Free Foundation (who support elephant projects in range states such as Kenya). The team analysed the problems in eastern and southern Africa and proposed new targets for coming years address HEC and people's development needs. Suggestions included: developing appropriate policy and legal frameworks for HEC and community-based natural resource management; improving interagency collaboration; improving wildlifebased urism benefits for local people; increasing the knowledge-base on HEC and its mitigation; developing new and innovative HEC mitigation techniques; supporting communities around more elephant populations mitigate HEC; and developing land use plans allow for the needs of elephants and people. WWF and its partners will now continue fund-raise implement the proposed programme. It was also suggested that partner agencies should engage in more regular and extensive dialogue on HEC mitigation share lessons. southern Africa) aims adopt low cost, farmer-based methods for mitigating humanelephant conflict in selected sites around the important elephant areas of Lupande Game Management Area in Zambia, Niassa Reserve in Mozambique, and the Caprivi Strip in Namibia. For more information on the work of WWF and its partners, see the following websites: Born Free Foundation: Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology: html Elephant Pepper Development Trust: IUCN/SSC African Elephant Specialist Group: Kenya Wildlife Service: WWF African Elephant Programme: Canon help profile WWF-funded work in Kenya In August last year, Canon - a WWF conservation partner - supported a communications trip the WWF-funded project on humanelephant conflict in the Transmara, Kenya. The project is run by Dr Noah Sitati of the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, UK, in partnership with WWF's Eastern Africa Programme and Kenya Wildlife Service. Stephanie Mansourian Meanwhile......as a first step expanding it's HEC mitigation activities, WWF provided a grant the EPDT conduct a project with WWF, governments and communities in three southern African range states. The project ("Mitigating human-elephant conflict in WWF-Canon / Martin Harvey Project staff talking with farmers in Transmara, Kenya, during the WWF communications mission. The WWF International TV centre producer, Joanna Benn, Panda.Org's online and content 10

13 edir, Ste Drayn, and respected wildlife phographer, Martin Harvey, covered the sry on the testing of human-elephant conflict mitigation techniques in this trouble spot in Kenya. Canon also engaged the support and interest of the Economist's Africa/Middle East edir, Barbara Smith who wrote a short piece profiling WWF's work down there. This can be seen at: ysry.cfm?sry_id= &ppv=1 The WWF On the Ground report on the project has been very popular. It can be found at: work/africa/where/eastern_africa/kenya/human _elephant_conflict/index.cfm The TV piece was widely used by agencies including APTN (Associated Press TV News), Reuters, EBU (European Broadcasting Union), BBC Newsround, the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, and Nation TV, part of the Nation Media Group. You can hear some of the BBC coverage at: m/_ _cn_lh_elephants.ram Canon also ok this opportunity supply Noah with a pair of high precision binoculars aid his work. They also provided additional equipment and support for wider communications activities and training in eastern Africa. The WWF office in Nairobi has been helped enormously by the donation of a professional video camera and another digital camera that can be loaned out the other 20 plus projects which the office runs. WWF is very grateful Canon for investing in WWF's efforts communicate its work a wide audience. Canon also ran an edited version of the video in its headquarters in Amsterdam educate its employees about the work and the challenges faced within species conservation. Without their help, the sry of Noah's groundbreaking efforts would not have reached the very people who make the work possible. NEWS FROM BEYOND THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT PROGRAMME A webpage about HEC mitigation on panda.org developed from the Canon mission 11 Elephants and ivory at the CITES Standing Committee meeting The Standing Committee CITES (The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is the Convention s executive body and deals with, for example, matters pertaining compliance with, and enforcement of, obligations under the Convention by Parties, and its budget. At a recent meeting of the CITES Standing Committee (Geneva, March 2004), discussions on elephants and ivory centred on the control of domestic ivory markets (the driving force behind the continued illegal international trade in ivory). Contrary reports in the press, the date on which the one-off sale in ivory from Botswana, Namibia and South Africa would take place, was not under discussion. It is unlikely such a sale will take place until 2005 at the earliest as all the conditions required have not yet been met (e.g. MIKE has not yet delivered baseline data for sites in Africa and Asia). Just days prior the meeting, the Secretariat circulated a draft work plan for an Africa-wide

14 approach halt the illegal trade in ivory. Unfortunately, as there was so little time consult with others in their regions, members of the Committee felt unable adopt the work plan. It was agreed, however, further develop the work plan at the next meeting of the African Elephants Range State Dialogue meeting, take place prior the 13 th meeting of the Conference of the Parties the Convention (CoP13), if funding is available. The results of those discussions will then be discussed at CoP13. The draft work plan currently includes four key elements: an agreement halt all domestic sales of ivory; legislation ban possession, transfer, sale, offer for sale, exchange, import, export or transport of ivory; enhancement of enforcement of these laws; and public awareness campaigns publicize ivory trade bans. initiative of Save the Elephants ( There is also an Asian elephant news listserv. The news items are taken from a variety of sources and seek provide a timely and unbiased account of the lives and circumstances of wild elephants worldwide. It also sometimes lets subscribers know about new publications and upcoming conferences on elephants. WWF staff find the service very useful, and it is an invaluable ol for conservationists and anyone else interested in elephants. For more information, please contact Melissa Groo at melgroo@hotmail.com. If you want sign up, just let Melissa know which listserv you want subscribe (African elephant and/or Asian elephant). The Secretariat will continue place particular attention on those countries which had already been identified as having largescale unregulated ivory markets, namely Cameroon, the Democratic republic of Congo, Djibouti and Nigeria. WWF welcomes the recommendations adopted by the Committee and hope that similar measures are implemented in Asia. For further detail on discussions at the meeting (including information on how it will be determined if there has been detrimental impact on other elephant populations as a result of approved trade in ivory), please see the WWF report on the 50 th Standing Committee meeting. This can be obtained from Cliona O Brien, CITES and Wildlife Trade Officer for the WWF Species Programme ( cobrien@wwf.org.uk). WWF staff can access it on the intranet at: Connect/ Documents/TargetDrivenProgrammes/Species Programme/Wildlife Trade. Elephant News Service If you would like keep up date with current issues in elephant conservation as reported by the press, why not subscribe the free African Elephant News Listserv, an WWF-Canon / Martin Harvey ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The WWF Africa and Madagascar Programme is very grateful WWF-Netherlands, WWF- Switzerland, WWF-UK and WWF-US for their continued support the African Elephant Programme. The edir would like thank Joanna Benn, Cliona O'Brien, Ste Drayn, and Sandrine Jiminez for their help with this newsletter. 12

15 WWF AFRICAN ELEPHANT PROGRAMME - PROJECT PORTFOLIO Projects supported by the WWF African Elephant Programme, April 2001-May 2004 Project title Implementing agencies Start and end dates Project Goal Total budget (CHF) Ongoing Projects: 9F Using modern methods and ols mitigate human-elephant conflict in selected sites in Africa IUCN/SSC African Elephant Specialist Group in partnership with WWF programme offices and field projects in central, eastern, southern and western Africa April 2002 March 2005 To reduce the levels of humanelephant conflict at selected sites by building the capacity of wildlife managers and local communities through supervised use and testing of AfESG technical products for HEC mitigation. 213,870 9F Support for CITES Secretariat ivory trade missions WWF Species Programme, CITES Secretariat Sept Dec To support the CITES Secretariat conduct missions evaluate domestic ivory markets. 4,298 9F Elephant populations surveys in the forest sites of central Africa CITES MIKE Programme (Moniring the Illegal Killing of Elephants) Ocber 2002 June 2003 To provide information needed for elephant range states make appropriate management and enforcement decisions, and build institutional capacity within the range states for the long-term management of their elephant populations. 113,000 9F Mitigating human-elephant conflict in the Mara ecosystem, Kenya 9F Elephant management in Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania 9F The conservation of elephants in a new protected area in Mozambique Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, UK, in partnership with WWF Eastern Africa Regional Programme Office and Kenya Wildlife Service WWF Tanzania Programme Office, Wildlife Department WWF Mozambique Country Office and WWF Southern Africa Regional Programme Office, GECORENA Phase II: Nov Oct July 2003 June 2004 Phase II: July 2003 Sept Phase II: Elephant conservation in Transmara District is improved by building local capacity mitigate human-elephant conflict and increase local benefits, thereby providing an incentive lerate and conserve elephants. Elephant populations in Selous Game Reserve managed effectively Phase II: Elephant populations in and around Quirimbas National Park conserved whilst improving the livelihoods of local people 372, , ,044 Completed Projects: 9F Conservation of forest elephants in the Mont Nlonako-Makombe- Ebo forest block, WWF Cameroon Programme Office and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry June 2001 June 2002 The conservation of the second largest population of forest elephants of Cameroon through research, capacity building, and the creation of three new reserves in Mt Nlonako, 100,380 13

16 Cameroon Makombe and Ebo. 9F Elephant populations surveys in the forest sites of central Africa CITES MIKE Programme (Moniring the Illegal Killing of Elephants) Ocber 2002 June 2003 To provide information needed for elephant range states make appropriate management and enforcement decisions, and build institutional capacity within the range states for the long-term management of their elephant populations. 113,000 9F Mitigating human-elephant conflict in the Mara ecosystem, Kenya Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, UK, in partnership with WWF Eastern Africa Regional Programme Office and Kenya Wildlife Service Phase I: April 2001 Sept Phase I: To mitigate human-elephant conflict in the Mara ecosystem in Kenya, through a programme of moniring, research, implementation and capacity-building activities that will provide long-term, sustainable benefits elephants and local communities. 248,748 9F Supporting the development and implementation of ETIS TRAFFIC in partnership with WWF Tanzania Programme Office June Nov By CITES CoP12, ETIS is effectively established monir and assess trends in illegal trade in elephant products. 55,773 9F Exchange visits between West Africa and central Africa and southern Africa share experiences in elephant conservation and management WWF Southern Africa Programme Office and the Department of National Parks & Wild Life Management, Zimbabwe January June 2002 To enhance the knowledge of elephant conservation and management between different African range states through a twoway exchange of ideas, practices, problems faced, approaches used and lessons learned. 90,613 9F The conservation of elephants in a new protected area in Mozambique WWF Mozambique Country Office and WWF Southern Africa Regional Programme Office, GECORENA Phase I: June 2002 June 2003 Phase I: Staff of Quirimbas Proposed National Park conducting elephant antipoaching operations and helping local communities mitigate humanelephant conflict by end of June ,704 9F Assessing domestic ivory markets in West Africa TRAFFIC April Sept To monir three key domestic ivory markets in West Africa on a longterm basis and understand their impact on elephant conservation. 49,662 The main emphasis of the WWF African Elephant Programme is building capacity within range states for governments, non-governmental organizations and local communities conserve and manage elephants. To that end, by the end of June 2003 (when data were last compiled) the AEP had trained more than 191 people (158 professionals and 33 villagers), as well as countless community workshop participants, in 15 range states. In addition projects funded directly by the African Elephant Programme, WWF continues provide support numerous other initiatives that contribute the conservation of elephants in Africa. For example, WWF provides financial and technical assistance many protected area that provide a haven for elephants. Sites supported in recent years include Comoé and Tai National Parks in Côte d Ivoire, Dzanga-Sangha Forest Reserve in the Central African Republic, Minkebe National Park and Gamba Protected Areas Complex in Gabon, Ruaha National Park and Tarangire National Park in Tanzania, and Gashaka Gumpti National Park in Nigeria. 14

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18 WWF-Canon / Martin Harvey WWF is the world's largest and most experienced independent conservation organization. It has 4.7 million supporters and a global network active in 96 countries. WWF's mission is sp the degradation of the planet's natural environment and build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature by: - conserving the world's biological diversity - ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable - promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption. WWF International Avenue du Mont Blanc 1196 Gland Switzerland Tel: Fax: , WWF-World Wide Fund For Nature WWF Registered Trademark 16