Living Large: Elephant Conservation in Southern Africa

San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research has active projects in over 35 countries across the globe, including projects supporting wild elephant conservation. Dr. Michael Chase established Elephants Without Borders (EWB) in 2004, a research-based nonprofit organization in Botswana. We are honored to announce that in 2009, Dr. Chase joined the Institute for Conservation Research team as a Henderson Endowed Conservation Postdoctoral Fellow.

The elephant conservation project, based in Botswana but covering several other countries, involves four key components: (1) detailed census counts are obtained on a regular basis by flying over designated zones in order to count not only elephants, but also other animal species that could influence elephant movement patterns and to plot how the elephant herds are distributed relative to human settlements; (2) immobilization of targeted animals, including outfitting a subset with GPS satellite collars, in order to obtain accurate information about elephant movement patterns throughout the year; (3) following elephant herds in a field vehicle in order to document the social structure of a herd and how the demographic composition and size of a herd might influence feeding and ranging patterns; (4) mapping elephant range use in relation to vegetation and documenting the use of specific plants for feeding. 

Understanding the spatial ecology of elephants depends upon accurate overlays of elephant range use with habitat features, human settlements, and locations of multiple elephant herds. By comparing our data from the field with that recorded from the African elephants at the Wild Animal Park, we hope to provide key insights useful for captive management and for optimizing the quality of life of the elephants.

Dominated by the Kalahari Desert, home to the vast Okavango Delta, and replete with wildlife, the landlocked nation of Botswana boasts the largest elephant population remaining on the African continent. According to Dr. Chase, this massive elephant population is largely the result of successful conservation measures in Botswana, the development of permanent water supplies during the dry season, the species’ inherent growth rate and elephants emigrating from inhospitable areas seeking refuge.

However, when it comes to megaherbivores roaming the landscape amidst villages and planted crops, large populations of elephants can become problematic—some people are worried that elephants have recovered in greater numbers than the environment can sustain, turning fragile forests into open grasslands and intensifying human-elephant conflict.

With its diverse areas of habitat, including flood plains, grasslands, savannas and salt pans, several types of antelope, Cape buffalo, giraffe, lions, African wild dogs and many other species make this arid landscape home. With an estimated 151,000 elephants also calling the northern reaches of Botswana home, this wildlife hot spot is the ideal location for Elephants Without Borders researchers to study the migratory patterns, behavior, and ecology of pachyderms.

Better understanding of elephant ecology and sharing this information with decision makers and communities will help secure key habitats and migratory corridors so wildlife can flourish. Helping to solve the challenges elephants and people face also benefits other wildlife species and supports communities who adopt sustainable conservation enterprises.

“Elephants are the flagships, directing and providing us with an opportunity to reconsider the boundaries between conservation and rural development,” observes Dr. Chase. The vision of EWB is “to open borders for Africa’s wildlife through education and research to help enable future generations to share their lives with these great giants.” Appropriately, EWB is based in Kazungula, a small town on the Chobe and Zambezi Rivers where four nations – Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia – intersect.

EWB is also the first project to work in Angola since its civil war ended in 2001. They are documenting the repopulation of elephants, which are returning despite the millions of unexploded landmines that litter the region (the elephants seem to have a sense as to where the landmines are located and do not fall prey to these dangerous weapons). Since elephants don’t use passports, the notion of elephants (and conservation) without borders is crucial for preserving biodiversity and a healthy landscape. We are pleased with this promising partnership for people and pachyderms!