The African Elephant Fund is a collaboration venture between thirty eight African elephant range States, donor States, UNEP, the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Convention of the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) who are working together to curtail the growing threats to elephant populations.

The African Elephant Action Plan (AEAP) which outlines the actions that must be taken in order to effectively conserve elephants in Africa across their range, was adopted in March 2010 at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES in Doha, Qatar. The document was developed in response to a Decision of the CITES Parties to develop such a plan and as well as the African Elephant Fund to assist with its implementation. 

There are only about 415,000 elephants roaming the continent of Africa presently (IUCN, 2016) compared to 3 to 5 million that roamed the vast expanses at the beginning of the 20th century. It's a frightening drop of 90 percent!

Since its inception in 2010, the African Elephant Fund has worked to achieve its objectives which include; reducing illegal killing of elephants and illegal trade of elephant products, maintaining elephant habitats and restoring connectivity, reducing human-elephant conflict, increasing awareness on elephant conservation  and management of key stakeholders that include policy makers and  local communities among other interest groups, strengthening cooperation and understanding  among range states, improving local communities cooperation and collaboration on African elephant conservation and ensuring that the African Elephant Action Plan is effectively implemented.

AEF Committee

Some of the key highlights of the African Elephant Fund achievements include:

  • Arresting 141 people in Nigeria for trespassing and poaching, indicating their contribution to a stronger enforcement of wildlife laws;
  • Training of over 300 enforcement personnel in Ethiopia and Ghana in the conduct of anti- poaching missions and the identification, collecting and handling of wildlife products;
  • Conducting the first aerial census survey of elephants in north-west Namibia in over 20 years;
  • Zero cases of crop raiding and zero elephants moving outside the Thuma Forest Reserve in Malawi;
  • Erection of the 12-km solar-powered electric fence in Malawi to reduce human-elephant conflict and protection of elephants.
  • Making Gabon self-sufficient in the traceability analysis of ivory;  
  • The African Elephant Fund also built fencing for bees in many Range States with more than 163 active colonies involved, which improved the welfare of communities through increased household income from honey and better food safety.
  • Recognition by Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) member states of the significance of adoption of the African Elephant Action Plan.

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For more information about the African Elephant Fund, please visit our website on www.africanelephantfund.org or contact, Tita Korvenoja: tita.korvenoja[at]un.org or Joyce Riungu: joyce.riungu[at]un.org.