rahul somvanshi
Just one species, African elephants have reduced from approximately 12 million to 400,000 in over a century.
Photo Source- Google
African elephants face the greatest threat from wildlife crimes, particularly poaching for ivory, while Asian elephants are primarily endangered by habitat loss.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reports that 90% of African forest elephants have vanished in the past 30 years, and 60% of savanna elephants have disappeared in the last 50 years due to illegal trafficking.
Fewer than 40,000 Asian elephants remain, with the Borneo elephant population critically endangered due to deforestation, poaching, and conflicts with local communities.
Elephants play a crucial role as "ecosystem engineers," creating paths and microhabitats that support other species, and dispersing seeds essential for forest regeneration.
Habitat destruction is particularly severe for Asian elephants due to agricultural expansion, deforestation, and infrastructure development that fragments their territory.
Each year, more than 20,000 African elephants are killed by poachers for their tusks, skin, and meat, with illegal ivory trafficking primarily directed to Asia.
The 1989 CITES ban on international ivory trade led to a decrease in poaching, but rates surged again in 2010, prompting renewed conservation efforts.
WWF is urging Spain's Ministry for Ecological Transition to update the Fight Against Species Trafficking Plan (TIFIES) and has launched the "Stop Wildlife Crime: It’s Dead Serious" campaign to raise awareness and combat illegal wildlife trade.
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