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 Some of the most important decisions in wildlife management in Africa revolve around elephants. Where elephant densities increase locally –be it through population growth with limited opportunity for natural dispersal or through range compression– the impact of elephants on their habitats and other species may also increase. Depending on local values and/or the land-use objectives, this impact is often seen as undesirable. Methods such as culling, translocation, range expansion, manipulation of water sources, and contraception are options that have been used or proposed to reduce elephant numbers or densities.
Information about attempts to control wild populations of elephants is generally not readily accessible to the relevant managers and conservation authorities in Africa, much of it being scattered in diverse reports and scientific papers or as part of the body of unwritten expert knowledge. The main objective of this document is to make available lessons learned from the past and from ongoing efforts to manage the negative ecological impact of African elephants, and to provide a summary of the main technical considerations and pros and cons of the different management options available.
These guidelines, available in English, French and Portuguese, were compiled by a task force convened by the African Elephant Specialist Group. This task force comprised the following AfESG experts: Dr David Balfour, Dr Holly T Dublin, Dr Deborah Gibson, Mr Leo Niskanen and Dr Ian Whyte.
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Elephant Conservation Strategies
 The AfESG has facilitated and been involved in the development of a number of national and regional elephant conservation strategies.
The following strategy documents are available from this site:
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Translocation is becoming an increasingly common tool in elephant management. Moving elephants is a complex operation that requires a great deal of expertise, planning and resources.
In collaboration with the Re-introduction Specialist Group and the Veterinary Specialist Group, the AfESG has developed a set of translocation guidelines specific to elephants.
 The first edition of the IUCN/SSC AfESG Guidelines for the in situ Translocation of African Elephants for Conservation Purposes is now available from this site in English (PDF 774 Kb), French (PDF - 834 Kb) and Portuguese (PDF - 824 Kb).
These Guidelines provide informed advice to decision-makers in African elephant Range State Governments, managers on the ground, non-governmental organizations, donors and other practitioners wishing to re-introduce or supplement African elephant populations for the primary purpose of conserving the African elephant in the long term.
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Elephant Conservation: Issues and Priorities
Review of African Elephant Conservation Priorities (1999) Edited by Chris Thouless (PDF - 1421Kb).
The role of captive facilities in in-situ elephant conservation (PDF - 29Kb) - a statement by the AfESG.
Statement from the African Elephant Specialist Group on the Removal of African Elephants for Captive Use (PDF - 19Kb).
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The African Elephant Database (AED) provides the most complete source of continental information on the numbers and distribution of the African elephant.
The four most recent reports of the AED are available on this site.
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Other Resources
 Studying Elephants
Edited by Kadzo Kangwana. Written largely by AfESG members, this 1996 AWF book focuses on methods to study elephants in the wild - including census methods, radio-collaring and satellite tracking, studying elephant behaviour and vocalizations, etc. The book has been made available on this website, both in English and in French, with kind permission from the African Wildlife Foundation.
- Counting Animals, the standard 'how-to' for wildlife survey work is now available on this website.
- Elephant News Service. If you would like to keep up to date with current issues in elephant conservation as reported by the press, subscribe to the free African Elephant News Listserv, an initiative of Save the Elephants. There is also an Asian elephant news listserv. For more information, please contact melgroo@hotmail.com.
- Glossary of elephant terms available from the Savanna Elephant Vocalization Project.
- The African Elephant Specialist Group works closely with the CITES Programme for Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE). MIKE is a system to monitor elephant population trends and the illegal killing of elephants at selected sites in Africa and Asia.
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