Protégée du braconnage, la plus grande population d’éléphants au monde est menacée par la sécheresse. Selon le Fonds international pour la protection des animaux (IFAW), au moins 100 éléphants sont morts dans le parc national de Hwange, la plus grande réserve naturelle du Zimbabwe.
Toute l'actu sur la protection de l'environnement
Protégée du braconnage, la plus grande population d’éléphants au monde est menacée par la sécheresse. Selon le Fonds international pour la protection des animaux (IFAW), au moins 100 éléphants sont morts dans le parc national de Hwange, la plus grande réserve naturelle du Zimbabwe.
Au Zimbabwe, les pluies d’été ont accusé un retard d’environ cinq semaines, en raison du phénomène El Niño (qui se traduit pas une hausse de la température à la surface de l’eau). Dans le parc national de Hwange, qui couvre environ 15 000 kilomètres carrés au nord-ouest du pays, de nombreux points d’eau autrefois abondants, se sont transformés en flaques boueuses. Les près de 45 000 éléphants que compte l’aire protégée ont fait face à un stress hydrique sévère. Épuisés par le manque d’eau, des dizaines d’entre eux ont succombé.
« À la fin de la saison sèche, les éléphants sont toujours affaiblis. Pendant la saison sèche, les éléphants restent toujours autour des points d’eau, ils se nourrissent de la végétation avoisinante et donc plus la saison sèche dure, plus ils doivent s’éloigner des points d’eau pour manger et revenir pour boire. Donc si la saison sèche se prolonge, les distances à parcourir deviennent trop importantes et les éléphants s’affaiblissent et certains finissent par mourir », explique David Germain-Robin, du Fonds international pour la protection des animaux (IFAW).
L’organisation indique que les 104 forages d’eau alimentés par énergie solaire du parc de Hwange n’étaient pas suffisants pour faire face aux températures extrêmes qui assèchent les points d’eau existants, obligeant les animaux à parcourir de longues distances à la recherche de nourriture et d’eau. « Au moins 100 éléphants seraient déjà morts à cause du manque d’eau », déplore l’IFAW.
La nouvelle sur le péril des éléphants au Zimbabwe est survenue au moment où s’achevait à Dubaï aux Émirats arabes unis (EAU), la 28e Conférence des Nations unies sur le climat (COP28). Des négociations au cours desquelles, l’IFAW a mis en avant l’impact dévastateur du changement climatique sur la faune et les êtres humains. « Les animaux sauvages empêchent le carbone, déjà stocké dans la nature, d’être libéré dans l’atmosphère et aident la nature à absorber et à stocker encore plus de carbone », a expliqué Phillip Kuvawoga, directeur du programme Conservation des habitats à l’IFAW. L’organisation appelle à une approche intégrée et holistique pour soutenir les habitats et les communautés résilientes au changement climatique.
Boris Ngounou
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the French Biodiversity Office (OFB) organised a large-scale ivory destruction operation on 28 November 2023. The operation, carried out in the commune of Reims in south-east France, is aimed at curbing the ivory trade and raising awareness of a trade responsible for the deaths of thousands of elephants, particularly those in Africa. In the space of a century, African elephant populations have plummeted by more than 90% as a result of poaching.
There are now 400,000 elephants left in Africa, a decline of 70% compared to the 1970s, when the population of this pachyderm was estimated at 1.3 million individuals. According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), this decline is mainly due to poaching. In the space of a century, poaching has caused African elephant populations to fall by 90%.
To put a stop to this massacre, IFAW and the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) organised a large-scale ivory destruction on 28 November 2023 in Reims, south-east France. In all, 1.8 tonnes of ivory were crushed before being burnt. This quantity of ivory, transformed into decorative objects, represents around 180 elephants, which had been slaughtered for their tusks.
In the wake of this action, IFAW France has also pledged to plant one tree in Zimbabwe for every kilogram of ivory received, in order to help restore the elephants’ habitat. According to the organisers, the destruction of African elephant habitat is one of the main causes of the erosion of biodiversity.
Nearly a tonne of ivory destroyed in 2018
This operation is part of the « I give my ivory » campaign, launched in 2015 by IFAW, which aims to encourage people who own any ivory item (tusks, trinkets, jewellery) to hand it in for destruction. An operation carried out in 2018 resulted in a tonne of ivory being crushed, helping to dry up the ivory market and send a strong message to traffickers.
« The exponential demand for the collection of these objects since the first collection in 2015 demonstrates the real need to offer private individuals a solution for disposing of their ivory, whether out of ethical conviction or because they are unable to sell it legally following the latest changes in regulations, » explains Mia Crnojevic-Cherrier, Campaigns Officer at IFAW.
The persistence of legal domestic markets for ivory in the European Union (EU) and elsewhere has enabled criminals to launder illegal ivory from poaching. It places the burden of proof of this illegality on law enforcement agencies and has confused consumers about the legal or illegal origin of the ivory available. For this reason, in May 2018, more than 90 Members of the European Parliament called for a total ban on the import and trade of ivory in the EU, and an initial public consultation, launched by the European Commission, showed that more than 90% of the 90,000 people questioned were in favour of a ban on this trade in the EU.
Fanta Mabo
African elephant: 1.8 tonnes of ivory destroyed in France to curb poaching
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the French Biodiversity Office (OFB) organised a large-scale ivory destruction operation on 28 November 2023. The operation, carried out in the commune of Reims in south-east France, is aimed at curbing the ivory trade and raising awareness of a trade responsible for the deaths of thousands of elephants, particularly those in Africa. In the space of a century, African elephant populations have plummeted by more than 90% as a result of poaching.
An ecoguard post is now operational in Hwange National Park in north-western Zimbabwe. It is a permanent base camp for ecoguards to prevent wildlife crime and protect local communities. The facility is the result of cooperation between the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
Security in Hwange National Park is going up a notch. The 14,651 square kilometre natural protected area in northwestern Zimbabwe now has a base camp. Opened on Saturday 15 April 2023 by Zimbabwe’s First Lady, Auxillia Mnangagwa, in her capacity as Zimbabwe’s tourism and wildlife ambassador, the Makona Ecoguard Station comprises several offices, an operations centre, a recreation area and 12 accommodation units for more than 24 ecoguards and their families.
The base is located about 15 kilometres from the riverside community of Tsholotshlo, to which missions are assigned. In addition to preventing wildlife crime, the ecoguards at this base also have the task of protecting the local communities. The proximity of these communities to the base allows the rangers to be deployed quickly in the event of human-wildlife conflicts.
Over 120 elephants poisoned with cyanide
The opening of the Makona base is the result of a partnership between the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority (ZimParks) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
This IFAW-ZimParks partnership has invested over $3.5 million in the Hwange-Matetsi-Zambezi landscape. These funds have been spent on wildlife crime control, protection and welfare of rangers, park management (infrastructure improvements, management of water resources used by wildlife), tourism development, wildlife rescue and human-wildlife conflict mitigation.
These actions, in addition to the opening of the Makona game warden post, are intended to turn the page on the disastrous poaching in this area, as well as in the rest of Hwange National Park. In 2013, cyanide poisoning killed more than 120 elephants and other wildlife in the southern part of Hwange National Park, near Makona.
Fanta Mabo
ZIMBABWE: Ecoguard post opens in Hwange National Park
An ecoguard post is now operational in Hwange National Park in north-western Zimbabwe. It is a permanent base camp for ecoguards to prevent wildlife crime and protect local communities. The facility is the result of cooperation between the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).