Poaching and human-elephant conflict in Angola remain ongoing issues, with the deaths of ten people and sixteen elephants recorded over the past six years, according to an environmental organization.
The concern was raised by Vladimir Russo, Executive Director of the Kissama Foundation, who spoke to the press on the sidelines of a workshop on the State and Conservation of Forest Elephants—one of the species found in Angola—organized by the foundation in partnership with the National Institute for Biodiversity and Conservation.
In 2018, the Kissama Foundation launched the Nzau Project for the Conservation of Forest Elephants, a critically endangered species.
Vladimir Russo stated that the project’s main goal is to identify areas where elephants are present in forests, to propose two concrete measures.
According to him, it is essential to understand where elephants and people are located, where conflicts arise, what mitigation techniques can be applied, and to gain awareness of the geographical distribution of forest elephants, primarily found in the provinces of Cabinda, Uíje, Cuanza Norte, and Bengo.
“The idea is to identify locations in those areas where we can propose conservation zones, keeping elephants and people separated,” he explained.
Since the project began, several methods have been tried to monitor the species, including fitting elephants with tracking collars, conducting DNA tests to confirm they are forest elephants (not savanna elephants—the other species found in Angola), and expanding a network of guardians from local communities to gather information about the mammals, Russo said.
The environmentalist stressed that one of the main threats is deforestation—for charcoal production, logging, and agriculture—activities that invade elephant habitats, forcing the animals into human communities.
“This is one of the main challenges: the lack of land-use planning. People are building homes and farming in elephant migration and transition areas. That’s the main problem—disorganized land use, the nature of activities being carried out, and poaching targeted at elephants for their ivory,” he said.
According to Vladimir Russo, at least 16 elephants have been killed since 2019 in various ways, with over 50% of the deaths due to poaching.
“There have been roadkill incidents, others are inconclusive, and some elephants were killed after invading farms, where people retaliated. But in over half of the cases, the animals were killed for their ivory. By the time we arrived, the ivory was usually gone, and the population was already butchering the meat,” he said.
Russo reiterated that poaching “is a very serious issue, particularly because of the ivory,” highlighting that most of the ivory leaving Angola—whether from forest or savanna elephants—is destined for Asia, especially China, Vietnam, and Hong Kong.
He noted that seizures have occurred at Luanda’s international airport, but there is also evidence of ivory passing through Angola via its borders with Namibia—where poaching also occurs—and Zambia, using Angola “as a corridor.”
“Efforts are being made by the Ministry of the Environment, the Criminal Investigation Service (SIC), and customs authorities to improve control,” he said. “But there are still many cases of ivory exiting the country, with Angola being used both as a transit hub and a source of ivory.”
Meanwhile, Noé Pinto, Head of the Environmental Conservation Department at the National Institute for Biodiversity and Conservation, said that the number of forest elephants in Angola is still unknown due to a lack of resources to conduct aerial surveys.
As for savanna elephants, the latest census conducted in 2022 recorded 5,983 individuals in the country, located in the national parks of Luengue-Luiana, Mavinga, Mupa, Bicuar, and Kissama. A new census is currently underway.
Source: Green Savers with Lusa
