By Antoinette van de Water, Michelle Henley, Lucy Bates, Rob Slotow - Science Direct Highlights We identify the multiple, overlapping benefits to humans and nature that elephants provide. We augment existing valuation systems...
Save Africa’s forest elephants if you want the Congo rainforest to continue capturing carbon: Study
By Rajat Ghai - Down to Earth World’s second-biggest rainforest could lose 6-9 % of its carbon capture ability, if the forest elephant goes extinct, says Saint Louis University research. Africa’s iconic elephants are on the brink. But while the ‘African elephant’...
Innovation in elephant dung analysis offers endless benefits for conservation
By Shaun Smillie - Daily Maverick Every pile of elephant dung holds a story that tells of forgotten migrations, ancient hookups and a population’s well-being, and now scientists are unlocking these secrets thanks to a new way of collecting DNA. It used to be that when...
Drivers and facilitators of the illegal killing of elephants across 64 African sites
By Timothy Kuiper, Res Altwegg, Colin Beale, Thea Carroll, Holly T. Dublin, Severin Hauenstein, Mrigesh Kshatriya, Carl Schwarz, Chris R. Thouless, Andrew Royle and E.J. Milner-Gulland AbstractIvory poaching continues to threaten African elephants. We (1) used...
Seasonal range fidelity of a megaherbivore in response to environmental change
By Rhea Burton-Roberts, Line S. Cordes, Rob Slotow, Abi Tamim Vanak, Maria Thaker, Navashni Govender & Graeme Shannon - Scientific Reports Abstract For large herbivores living in highly dynamic environments, maintaining range fidelity has the potential to...
Study reveals the true value of elephants
By University of Portsmouth / Phys.Org New research examining the services and benefits of elephants has revealed many values are often overlooked when deciding how they should be protected. The collaboration between universities in England and South Africa, including...
Study reveals that wild African elephants choose paths leading directly to their favorite food
By University of Oxford / Phys.Org As human-elephant conflict continues to rise across Africa, researchers are searching for new ways to keep a watchful eye on wild African elephants, even looking to space technologies for guidance. In the rural community of...
Relationships Between Cattle and Biodiversity in Multiuse Landscape Revealed by Kenya Long-Term Exclosure Experiment
By Truman P. Young, Lauren M. Porensky, Corinna Riginos, Kari E. Veblen, Wilfred O. Odadi, Duncan M. Kimuyu, Grace K. Charles & Hillary S. Young - Science Direct Abstract On rangelands worldwide, cattle interact with many forms of biodiversity, most obviously...
Elephant facial motor control
By Lena V. Kaufmann, Undine Schneeweis, Eduard Maier, Thomas Hildebrandt & Michael Brecht - Science Advances Abstract We studied facial motor control in elephants, animals with muscular dexterous trunks. Facial nucleus neurons (~54,000 in Asian elephants,...
Mapping potential connections between Southern Africa’s elephant populations
By Ryan M. Huang ,Rudi J. van Aarde ,Stuart L. Pimm,Michael J. Chase,Keith Leggett - PlosOne Abstract Southern Africa spans nearly 7 million km2 and contains approximately 80% of the world’s savannah elephants (Loxodonta africana) mostly living in isolated protected...