Elephants have a profound impact on people and nature.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Known as \u201cecosystem engineers,\u201d they travel vast distances, carving new paths through dense brush and spreading seeds that restore forests. They\u2019re also a lifeline for local economies, driving millions in tourism revenue where other opportunities are scarce.<\/span><\/p>\n Yet, poaching, habitat destruction and climate change have pushed these giants to the brink. All three species \u2014 Asian, African forest and African savanna elephants \u2014 are considered endangered or critically endangered.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Conservation International works with local communities and other partners to protect and restore the lands that both people and elephants need to thrive. On this World Elephant Day, Conservation News shares three recent stories that explore the intertwined fates of rural communities, elephants and the nature they rely on.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe greatest enemy of the environment will always be poverty,\u201d says Conservation International fellow Greta Iori. \u201cSomeone who is hungry or poor will be left with no choice but to poach or to compete with wildlife for resources \u2014 often knowing that they are essentially harming themselves in the long term.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Iori\u2019s perspective reflects a decade of experience working with the Elephant Protection Initiative to prevent human-elephant conflict. Her guiding philosophy is that saving Africa\u2019s elephants requires understanding and supporting rural communities that share spaces with them. In short, she says, people and wildlife can only prosper together.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI love elephants; my work is all about protecting them,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd that means seeing the conflict from both sides \u2014 starting with meeting people\u2019s basic human needs and addressing issues of inequality. Then the pressure on wildlife is reduced.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Iori spoke with Conservation News about the realities of living alongside elephants, misconceptions about poachers, and the relationship between poverty and conservation.<\/span><\/p>\n Read the story<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n When humans and elephants come into contact, the results can be deadly for both sides. Now, a new study,<\/a> co-authored by Conservation International, finds that rising global temperatures could raise the risk of human-elephant conflicts.<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s the first large-scale look at how climate change could affect the relationship between people and pachyderms.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Unsurprisingly, study projections show that climate change and agricultural expansion will lead to greater conflict \u2014 furthering human encroachment on elephants\u2019 habitats and making competition for scarce resources even fiercer.<\/span><\/p>\n Yet that future is not set in stone, said Mia Guarnieri, the study\u2019s lead author. While the study highlights the need for greater climate and biodiversity action, perhaps more critically, it maps the areas at greatest risk of increasing conflict.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf we understand where conflict is likely to occur,\u201d she says, \u201cwe can better prepare for it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Read the story<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Stretching across 40 percent of the planet, grasslands hold more than a third<\/a> of the world\u2019s land-based carbon in their vast underground root and soil systems. They are bastions of biodiversity and contribute to the livelihoods of 1 billion people<\/a> worldwide.<\/span><\/p>\n In some cases, grasslands are disappearing faster than forests<\/a> \u2014 yet they are overlooked and undervalued<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIronically, some grasslands are being threatened by inappropriate climate actions<\/a>, like planting trees where they don’t belong,\u201d said Conservation International scientist Heidi-Jayne Hawkins. \u201cSo, we asked, what can we do that’s really a win for people, biodiversity and climate?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n According to a study co-led by Hawkins, one answer lies in bringing wildlife back to the grassy ecosystems they have helped shape for millennia. For example, large herbivores like elephants, which maintain savannas by trampling trees and clearing dense vegetation, are disappearing. The result is that too many trees are outcompeting grasses \u2014 reducing food for wild and domestic grazers, depleting groundwater, and drying up streams.<\/span><\/p>\n Hawkins spoke with Conservation News about how \u201cwilder\u201d lands benefit communities and climate \u2014 and what it will take to get there.<\/span><\/p>\n Read the story<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nTo coexist with giants, meet people’s needs first: expert<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/ciorg.imgix.net\/images\/default-source\/default-album\/ci_17058432?&auto=compress&auto=format&fit=crop?&auto=compress&auto=format&w=800\")
As climate crisis escalates, so too could human-elephant clashes<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"ci_24299764_Large\"\/](\"https:\/\/ciorg.imgix.net\/images\/default-source\/default-album\/ci_24299764_large?&auto=compress&auto=format&fit=crop?&auto=compress&auto=format&w=800\")
To restore grasslands, it\u2019s time to get wild<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"ci_65216154\"\/](\"https:\/\/ciorg.imgix.net\/images\/default-source\/default-album\/ci_65216154?&auto=compress&auto=format&fit=crop?&auto=compress&auto=format&w=800\")