© Sergey Dereliev, www.dereliev-photography.com Saving Elephants beyond Borders in West Africa Understanding the Challenge The African Elephant was once a common species in West Africa – roaming in the dense tyropical forests, open savannas and even deserts of the region. Today the elephant range is highly fragmented with many small and highly endangered isolated populaon remaining. Out of the former high number of elephant only less than 7500 may have survived to date. Main driver of this fatal development is habit loss due to the growing human populaon, human elephant conflicts as well as poaching and illegal trade in ivory. The conservaon status of elephants in West Africa is very poor compared with East and Southern Africa. The elephants of West Africa are disnct from the savanna and forest elephants of other African regions. Further genecal research is needed to clarify about their species status. It is however beyond controversy that the remaining West African elephant populaons are of high conservaon value and acons are urgently needed. Moving from Decision to Acon The African elephant is a highly migrant species that requires collaborave efforts for securing their long term survival. Thus the African Elephant was listed on Appendix II of the Convenon. The urgent conservaon need in the West African subregion was reasoning for the development of a “Memorandum of Understanding Concerning Conservaon Measures for the West African Populaons of the African Elephant” (MoU). This West African Elephant MoU provides an internaonal framework for Range State governments, sciensts and conservaon groups to collaborate in the conservaon of elephant populaons and their habitats. The MoU was launched under the auspices of CMS in 2005. A couple of naonal and transboundary projects for conservaon of elephants in the region have been developed and implemented. A few Naonal Acon Plans have been developed as a tool for strategic implementaon at country level. Championing the Soluon! Since many of the elephant populaons in West Africa cross naonal borders, the work under the MoU takes a regional perspecve with an emphasis on cooperaon between range states and the transboundary management of elephants. Organizaon of the meengs of the governing bodies, development and implementaon of conservaon projects and informaon exchange of key stakeholders are he basis for coordinang conservaon efforst. Sustainable funding is essenal to provide adequate assistance to governments and organizaons to control the ivory trade and the implementaon of CITES, reduce the rate of habitat loss, curtail the illegal killing of elephants, work on collecng beer informaon to improve understanding of elephant conservaon, improve cooperaon and strengthen awareness raising. More informaon can be found at: www.cms.int/west-african-elephants/ UNEP/CMS Secretariat / Platz der Vereinten Naonen 1 / 53113 Bonn, Germany / Tel. (+49 228) 815 2401 / Email: cms.secretariat@cms.int / www.cms.int