NAIROBI, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The survival of African elephants is at stake as the iconic land mammal finds itself at the crosshairs of wrath from farmers and herders, the conservation lobby Elephant Protection Initiative (EPI) said in a statement on Monday.
The EPI said some of the dynamics fueling human-elephant conflicts in Africa include rapid population growth, urbanization, shrinking wildlife habitats, and climate change.
"Across Africa, human-elephant conflicts result in injuries and tragic loss of human life, the destruction of crops and infrastructure, the loss of livelihoods, and the killing of elephants in retaliation," said the EPI.
The 21 African member states of EPI lobbied for the recognition of human-elephant conflict as a critical threat to the survival of the giant land mammal during the 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity meeting, held in Montreal, Canada.
In addition, Africa's elephant range states urged the international community to incorporate evolving threats to elephants in the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework that was approved at the end of COP15.
Angolan Minister of Environment Ana Paula de Carvalho, who chaired the meeting of Africa's elephant range states at the UN biodiversity meeting, called for renewed attention to human-elephant conflict as part of efforts to save the continent's wildlife heritage and sustain tourism.
Carvalho added that robust financing of community-led conservation models will be key to minimizing the intensity of human-elephant conflicts in Africa's savannas and tropical forests.
The EPI member states proposed careful land use practices, enhanced protection of wildlife sanctuaries, and adoption of alternative livelihoods to reduce poaching alongside human-elephant hostilities.
Other recommendations intended to minimize human-elephant conflicts in the continent include robust financing toward research, public education, and deployment of surveillance technologies.
"By preserving elephants and their habitats, we are protecting a wide range of biodiversity and mitigating climate change," said the EPI.
