In August 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland, the African Elephant Fund held a side event in the margins of the Eighteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention On International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES COP 18) entitled “The African Elephant Fund: Delivering the African Elephant Action Plan”.
During the side event, the African Elephant Fund presented case studies and success stories from projects implemented across the African elephant range states, lessons learned and the observed impacts to elephant conservation. The case studies included: reduced human elephant conflict through improved monitoring, stakeholder engagement and law enforcement, in Bia and Kakum Conservation Areas of Ghana; the first aerial survey of elephants and other large mammals in north-west Namibia in 2016; reduced human-elephant conflict and zero cases of crop raid in Thuma Forest Reserve, the Dedza Salima escarpment, and Kazungu National Park, Malawi.
Other success stories featured included enabling Gabon to become self-sufficient in the traceability analysis of ivory; the establishment of a canine department in Uganda Wildlife Authority, which has strengthened the management of the ivory stock pile in Uganda; elephant dung counts and age structures estimated at Shimba hills, Mau Forest, Mt. Elgon, Mt. Kenya, and Aberdares, as a result of knowledge generated on elephant population in tropical forests in Kenya; reduced human-elephant conflict in Côte d’Ivoire by training 10 forest officers in using geographic information systems to track elephants, sensitizing the population of eight villages to protect elephants, and equipping 80 farmers with alternative sources of livelihood.
The event was attended by over 300 participants from governments, non-governmental organizations and intergovernmental organizations.
