title: Forest elephant crisis in the Congo Basin.
abstract: Debate over repealing the ivory trade ban dominates conferences of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Resolving this controversy requires accurate estimates of elephant population trends and rates of illegal killing. Most African savannah elephant populations are well known; however, the status of forest elephants, perhaps a distinct species, in the vast Congo Basin is unclear. We assessed population status and incidence of poaching from line-transect and reconnaissance surveys conducted on foot in sites throughout the Congo Basin. Results indicate that the abundance and range of forest elephants are threatened from poaching that is most intense close to roads. The probability of elephant presence increased with distance to roads, whereas that of human signs declined. At all distances from roads, the probability of elephant occurrence was always higher inside, compared to outside, protected areas, whereas that of humans was always lower. Inside protected areas, forest elephant density was correlated with the size of remote forest core, but not with size of protected area. Forest elephants must be prioritised in elephant management planning at the continental scale.
authors.affiliation: Africa Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, New York, United States of America. sblake@uuplus.com
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Blake
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Strindberg
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Boudjan
authors.forename: Calixte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Makombo
authors.forename: Inogwabini
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bila-Isia
authors.forename: Omari
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ilambu
authors.forename: Falk
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Grossmann
authors.forename: Lambert
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bene-Bene
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: de Semboli
authors.forename: Valentin
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mbenzo
authors.forename: Dino
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: S'hwa
authors.forename: Rosine
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bayogo
authors.forename: Liz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Williamson
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fay
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hart
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Maisels
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003223:Congo; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004606:Elephants; D014197:Trees