In five southern African countries, which account for more than half of the elephants on the African continent, the first ever aerial to determine elephant populations and how to protect them. We are conducting a survey.
Light aircraft fly simultaneously over the plains of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The following exercises will take place in a protected area known as the KAZAZA Cross-Border Protected Area (KAZA).
KAZA is home to an estimated 220,000 elephants, and five countries want to know the exact numbers and animal distribution patterns.
More than 130,000 animals have been found in Botswana, the world's largest elephant population.
Cavelo Senyazo, director of the National Park Wildlife Service in Botswana, said populations are important for elephant management.
Data is primarily used to guide decision-making by five partner countries, including land use planning, human-elephant conflict management, hunting and tourism, Senyatso said.
Senyatso said the movement was important in areas with a large number of cross-border elephants.
“As a resource manager, it's important to have a clear understanding of where the resources are and how they are distributed throughout the landscape,” says Senyatso. "This is the first exciting project of its kind. Data on patterns have been analyzed since the beginning of 2023, and we anticipate that by the first quarter of 2023 there will already be preliminary data that can be shared with the general public. Our decision. ”
KAZA Managing Director Nyambe Nyambe said that elephant numbers determine the scientific approach to elephant population management.
"It is highly expected to generate science-based information on population distribution and other factors, and it is accurate and reliable data," he said. "The results of this study will be the basis for the long-term protection and management of Africa's largest cross-border elephant population."
Botswana-based conservationist MapIves He said it is important to clarify the movement patterns of elephants across the borders of the five countries.
"I want to see what the results will be," Ives said. "We are interested not only in the number of elephants, but also in their distribution and the potential for those elephants to move between countries. This population is a single continuous population. We know that. ”
Elephant populations are increasing in the KAZA region, but in other parts of the African continent, elephant populations are increasing due to habitat loss and poaching. It is decreasing.
