title: Poaching empties critical Central African wilderness of forest elephants.
abstract: Elephant populations are in peril everywhere, but forest elephants in Central Africa have sustained alarming losses in the last decade [1]. Large, remote protected areas are thought to best safeguard forest elephants by supporting large populations buffered from habitat fragmentation, edge effects and human pressures. One such area, the Minkébé National Park (MNP), Gabon, was created chiefly for its reputation of harboring a large elephant population. MNP held the highest densities of elephants in Central Africa at the turn of the century, and was considered a critical sanctuary for forest elephants because of its relatively large size and isolation. We assessed population change in the park and its surroundings between 2004 and 2014. Using two independent modeling approaches, we estimated a 78-81% decline in elephant numbers over ten years - a loss of more than 25,000 elephants. While poaching occurs from within Gabon, cross-border poaching largely drove the precipitous drop in elephant numbers. With nearly 50% of forest elephants in Central Africa thought to reside in Gabon [1], their loss from the park is a considerable setback for the preservation of the species.
authors.affiliation: Nicholas School of the Environment, P.O. Box 90328, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux, Batterie IV, B.P. 20379, Libreville, Gabon. Electronic address: john.poulsen@duke.edu.
authors.forename: John R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Poulsen
authors.affiliation: Nicholas School of the Environment, P.O. Box 90328, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA.
authors.forename: Sally E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Koerner
authors.affiliation: Nicholas School of the Environment, P.O. Box 90328, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.affiliation: Nicholas School of the Environment, P.O. Box 90328, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux, Batterie IV, B.P. 20379, Libreville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Vincent P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Medjibe
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Schlossallee 2, D-78315 Radolfzell, Germany.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Blake
authors.affiliation: Nicholas School of the Environment, P.O. Box 90328, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux, Batterie IV, B.P. 20379, Libreville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Connie J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.affiliation: World Wildlife Fund Central Africa Regional Programme Office, B.P. 6776, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Mark Ella
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Akou
authors.affiliation: Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux, Batterie IV, B.P. 20379, Libreville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fay
authors.affiliation: Nicholas School of the Environment, P.O. Box 90328, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
authors.forename: Amelia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meier
authors.affiliation: Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux, Batterie IV, B.P. 20379, Libreville, Gabon; Institut de Recherche en Écologie Tropicale, BP. 13354, Libreville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Okouyi
authors.affiliation: Nicholas School of the Environment, P.O. Box 90328, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
authors.forename: Cooper
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rosin
authors.affiliation: Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux, Batterie IV, B.P. 20379, Libreville, Gabon; Institut de Recherche en Écologie Tropicale, BP. 13354, Libreville, Gabon; African Forest Ecology Group, School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK.
authors.forename: Lee J T
authors.initials: LJT
authors.lastname: White
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004606:Elephants; D065928:Forests; D005681:Gabon; D006802:Human Activities; D008954:Models, Biological; D011157:Population Dynamics