Savanna elephants have declined by about 70% and forest elephants by about 90% on average in the surveyed sites.

Habitat loss and poaching have driven dramatic declines in African elephants, but it is challenging to measure their numbers and monitor changes across the entire continent. A new study has analyzed 53 years of population survey data and found large-scale declines in most populations of both species of African elephants.

African elephants face population decline due to habitat loss and poaching, highlighting urgent conservation needs.