Nigeria risks losing all its forest elephants – what we found when we went looking for them
Nigeria risks losing all its forest elephants – what we found when we went
looking for them
Rosemary Iriowen Egonmwan, Bola Oboh, Queen Omoregie, University of Lagos,
The Conversation
March 11, 2024
Nigeria is one of 37 African countries where elephants are found in the
wild. Savannah elephants (Loxodonta africana) can be found in the north and
forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) in the south.
It’s not clear how many elephants there are in Nigeria. Eighteen years ago,
the African Elephant Study Report estimated that there were just 94
elephants left in the country. In 2021, it was estimated that there could
be about 400 elephants in areas not systematically surveyed.
What we do know, however, is that the numbers and ranges of elephants in
Nigeria have declined greatly over time. The main cause of this has been
human activity, like logging and agriculture, which threaten their survival
by reducing their natural habitat. Some elephant populations have been
lost. Others exist only in small, fragmented areas.
Elephant surveys had not been carried out in southern Nigeria for over a
decade, and sightings of forest elephants are rare. Forest elephants are of
particular interest because they’re classified as Critically Endangered by
the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
We carried out a study to establish their presence and determine the
factors affecting their conservation.
We visited four protected areas in two national parks and one forest
reserve in southern Nigeria. We did find small populations, totalling 40
forest elephants. This is not a viable population in the long run as it has
been suggested that “viable” elephant populations may range from 400 to
6,000 individuals.
Their survival is being threatened for six reasons, in particular the
impact of people’s activities.
Presence and Distribution of Elephants
We visited Okomu National Park; Omo Forest Reserve; and the Okwango and
Oban Divisions of the Cross River National Park.
Elephants were caught on camera traps in the Omo Forest Reserve and Okomu
National Park. They were sighted in the Okomu National Park and the Oban
Division of the Cross River National Park. In the Omo Forest reserve, we
found the charred bones of a poached elephant.
Of the 40 identified using micro-satellite markers, seven were in Omo
Forest Reserve, 14 from Okomu National Park, 11 from Oban Divison and eight
from Okwango Division.
The future of these elephants looks precarious for a number of reasons.
The Threats
Firstly, our study found evidence that pressure from human activity and
changes in land use were influencing elephant distribution in the study
locations. These were also contributing to habitat fragmentation and forest
degradation.
We found that land within and around the protected areas we studied had
been converted to settlements. It is also used for farming and monoculture
plantations, where elephant food is limited. This has resulted in habitat
loss and forest fragmentation, restricting the ranges of the elephant
populations.
Second, the presence of hunters’ sheds, spent cartridges, traps and hook
snares showed that illegal hunting persisted in all the study locations. We
found the carcass of an elephant during the study. Hunting, as a threat to
biodiversity conservation, has already been proven in studies of Kainji
National Park, Okomu National Park and the Cross River National Park.
Arrests don’t always deter offenders because the punitive measures aren’t
heavy enough.
Thirdly, human-elephant conflict is pervasive. Elephants raided crops and
destroyed property in and around the study locations. Most farmers in the
surrounding communities lacked alternative sources of livelihood. Even
small losses were of economic importance and led to negative attitudes
towards conservation.
In the Okomu National Park – which lacks a buffer zone – we detected
elephant activity outside the protected areas.
Fourthly, the distribution of the elephants in small groups means that they
face a high risk of local extinction. The populations in the Omo Forest
Reserve and the Okomu National Park are completely isolated. The protected
areas are surrounded by farmlands and human settlements and the elephants
don’t intermingle with other populations.
Fifth is the issue of forest degradation and shrinking of forest space. The
Omo Forest Reserve is a Strict Nature Reserve – meaning it’s not open to
tourism – and is one of Nigeria’s four biosphere reserves. But most of the
forest is degraded and has reduced in size.
The final threat to elephants is that farmers were not paid compensation
for crop losses arising from elephant raids in the study locations. This
contributed to a negative attitude towards conservation. The Federal
Government of Nigeria has no policy provision for compensation to farmers.
The Aichi Biodiversity Targets encourage incentives as a means of
safeguarding biodiversity.
Improving the Conservation of Elephants
Ecologically, elephants are a keystone species which have a massive impact
on the ecosystem. Their loss would have an impact on the environment.
Economically, they are drivers of tourism, and culturally they are icons of
the African continent.
There are several steps that can be taken to protect them.
Awareness programmes, livelihood opportunities and compensation should be
introduced to farmers. Together with acoustic deterrents and other
mitigation methods used around the world, they could check losses due to
crop raids.
Community conservation education and awareness programmes work. They should
be rolled out to help change negative attitudes and get people to cooperate
in conservation efforts.
In our study we observed that elephants avoided harming cocoa farms. In
cases where elephants passed through them, the cocoa was not eaten. This
behaviour was also reported at the Bossematié Forest Reserve, Côte
d'Ivoire. This observation needs to be investigated to test whether
cultivation of these crops could mitigate conflict between people and
elephants.
Finally, a species management and monitoring plan should be put in place to
help conserve Nigeria’s forest elephant populations. A nationwide survey,
to assess the population of elephants in all ranges in Nigeria, should be
top priority.