![]() Assessing the role of megafauna in tropical forest ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles-the potential of vegetation models. ![]() Megafauna and ecosystem function from the Pleistocene to the Anthropocene. Combining paleo-data and modern exclosure experiments to assess the impact of megafauna extinctions on woody vegetation. Ecological impacts of the late Quaternary megaherbivore extinctions. We speculate that the presence of forest elephants may have shaped the structure of Africa’s rainforests, which probably plays an important role in differentiating them from Amazonian rainforests. These modelled results are confirmed by field inventory data. Conversely, the extinction of forest elephants would result in a 7% decrease in the aboveground biomass in central African rainforests. At a typical density of 0.5 to 1 animals per km 2, elephant disturbances increase aboveground biomass by 26–60 t ha −1. The shift also reduces the forest net primary productivity, given the trade-off between productivity and wood density. Such a shift in African’s rainforest structure and species composition increases the long-term equilibrium of aboveground biomass. ![]() These changes favour the emergence of fewer and larger trees with higher wood density. We find that the reduction of forest stem density due to the presence of elephants leads to changes in the competition for light, water and space among trees. Here, we quantify those effects by incorporating elephant disturbance in the Ecosystem Demography model, and verify the modelled effects by comparing them with forest inventory data from two lowland primary forests in Africa. Yet, the influence of elephants on the structure, productivity and carbon stocks in Africa’s rainforests remain largely unknown. As one of Africa’s wildlife ‘big five’, elephants are popular with tourists, which can be an important source of income for communities.īy helping protect elephants we’re also helping make sure their environment and its natural resources are available for generations to come.Large herbivores, such as elephants, can have important effects on ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles. Local people depend on natural resources found in elephant habitats, for example for food, fuel and income. Without elephants, the natural structure and functioning of their landscapes would be very different, which would have impacts on the other wildlife and the people who share that space. And elephants can eat big seeds that small animals can’t. ![]() When elephants eat seed-bearing plants and fruits, the seeds often re-emerge undigested. They're ‘landscape architects’ – for instance as they move around and feed, they create clearings in wooded areas, which lets new plants grow and forests regenerate naturally.Īnd then there’s seed dispersal. We need your help to protect them.Įlephants play an essential role in their environment. In safeguarding elephants, we’re also helping support local communities through measures to reduce human-elephant conflict and initiatives to support local livelihoods. We're doing all we can to help, from monitoring herds, to training community rangers and protecting habitat. Other major threats to both African elephant species include the ongoing conversion of their natural habitats for agriculture and other land uses. At present, there are around 415,000 African elephants in the wild. Both species have suffered sharp declines since 2008 due to a significant increase in poaching, which peaked in 2011 but continues to threaten populations. The number of African forest elephants fell by more than 86% over a period of 31 years, while the population of African savanna elephants decreased by at least 60% over the last 50 years, according to the assessments. The African savanna elephant is also listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. African elephants are the world's largest land mammals, with males, on average, reaching up to 3m in height and weighing up to 6 tonnes.įollowing population declines over several decades due to poaching for ivory and loss of habitat, the African forest elephant is now listed as critically endangered. ![]()
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