Mali’s remarkable “desert-adapted” elephants: how they have survived and how they can be

conserved

Dr Susan Canney,

Director of the Mali Elephant Project

Research Associate, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford

Range of habitats

How have these elephants survived?

•Internationally important elephant population

•12% of all West African elephants

•Most northerly in Africa

•Undertake the longest & most unusual circular migration of all elephants

•One of two populations of desert elephants

100km

Timbuktu

100km

Timbuktu

Zoom in to Banzena

Photograph by Carlton Ward Jr

Photograph by Carlton Ward Jr

100km

Timbuktu

Hamniganda

Lake Gossi

Conclusions 2006 • Urgent action required at Banzena and the Porte des Elephants • Incremental degradation & increasing human activity all over the

elephant range and beyond perception of increasing elephant numbers.

We had 5 years to start turning things around

But what to do?

In 2006: - 2 foresters posts for an area the size of Switzerland & no vehicles - No resources - No government morale or political will

Community dialogue: understanding the human dimension

“If elephants disappear it means the environment is no longer good for us”

Attitude survey 2009 351 people

STAKEHOLDERS

OUTREACH & ENGAGEMENT Education, Training, Information

TOURISTS, VISITORS

GOVERNMENT, DONOR, NGO

PROJECTS

THREATS

OCCUPIED ELEPHANT ROUTE

Competition for resources

Impaired access to resources

STRATEGIES &

ACTIONS

PLANS, STRATEGIES, POLICIES

LOCAL COMMUNITIES

SCHOOLS COMMUNITY

LEADERS

GRASS-ROOTS

LOCAL COMMUNITY

ACTION

SENSITIVE ECO-TOURISM

Building a shared vision within Mali

Outreach

10s of 1,000s

Over 96%

High degree of resource exploitation by outsiders

High levels of degradation

• Shifting ‘bush cultivation’ erosion

Over 50%

Then work out solutions that bring benefits for elephants,

people & the ecosystem

Based on study results - brought together clans, ethnicities, local government together to agree on the problems, thus establishing common ground

“Since we left we no longer have stomach aches. The men can go back to Banzena if

they want but we are staying here”

Biggest problem is no commonly agreed NRM

systems across ethnicities

Community NRM that includes elephant habitat protection: management committee plus patrols

Management committee designated 40,000 ha pastoral reserve 92,380 ha by adjacent communities

Legal back-up

• Decentralization legislation: – Local & intercommunal

conventions

• Livestock legislation (Charte pastorale): – Establishment of pasture reserves

• Communities legislation: – Establishment of community

groups and “associations” with authority to act as foresters

• Planning legislation – Area zonation

• Environmental legislation – Species protected from over-

exploitation and hunting

Firebreak economics: • Pasture at the end of the dry season & no need to buy forage at a premium • Sale of hay • Sale of grazing access rights

Livestock worth 50% more, healthier, give more milk and produce more young

One community made $24,000 per year divided between the management committee, the eco-guards and the women

Guiding vision

Model of human-nature co-existence :

– ecosystem restoration through community

empowerment supported by government

– reintroduction of lost species

2011 – fall of Gadaafi, return of Tuareg mercenaries and re-

ignition of rebellion

Intercommunity meeting – 4 days

Grain distribution

Elders & clan leaders

Pledged to convey the message throughout the community and to the leaders of the armed groups ….. “Anyone who kills

elephants steals from the local people”

Traditional chief of Ebanguimallen

Vigilance networks providing an occupation with status and preventing radicalisation

They have information but not armed enforcement back-up

The eco-guards are central

Creating an anti-poaching unit

Community benefits from collective resource management that leaves space and resources for people and elephants

Building and maintaining community solidarity

Thank you! www.wild.org/mali-elephants