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Elephants are
among the most endangered species globally, given the continuing decrease in
populations. They are considered highly intelligent, social, and important to
the ecology, given their role in the ecosystem. Elephants act as an
international symbol of compassion, unity, loyalty, and natural ecosystem
engineers. However, the population of elephants is continuing to decline
because of illegal poaching, increased demand for ivory products, and human
activities associated with population growth. They have also become a symbol of
wild international trafficking because of the increased cases of illegal
poaching and illegal trade of their ivory.
Elephants are
herbivores that feed on grass, shrubs, fruits, vines, and tree leaves. They are
mostly found in Africa, Asia, and India, where they occupy the biomes of
savannas, grasslands, deserts, and forests. The "Loxodonta Africana"
(African elephants) and the "Elephas maximus" (Asian elephant) are
the two main species of elephants that exists today. They live in close family
groups, led by the oldest female elephant in the group, called a matriarch. As
engineers of the natural ecosystem, Elephants play a key role in reshaping the
environment by creating new holes for water as they dig for water and uprooting
trees and vegetation while they forage.
The greatest
threat to African elephants is poaching for the illegal ivory trade, climate
changes, and conflict with the surrounding communities. Illegal poachers
constantly hunt elephants because of their valuable ivory, which is also
considered medicinal value for treating diseases. Similarly, elephants in
Africa are also threatened by habitats loss because of human activities. The
increasing population of humans has destroyed the elephants' habitats as humans
seek to expand their territories, putting them in danger of extinction.
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Biodiversity can
affect the increase of the elephants' populations because it boosts ecosystem
productivity, where every species plays a part, no matter how small. Elephants
maintain the ecosystem in forests and savannas for the survival of other
species and contribute to the biodiversity. Biodiversity can also affect the
increase of the elephants' population because it allows ecosystems to adjust to
disturbances like fires and floods. Elephants play an important role as the
largest land mammals in keeping ecosystems fertile and maintaining plant
populations. Elephants create pathways in dense forests by clearings,
uprooting, and trampling over the big trees and vegetation. The pathways and
clearings made by the elephants allow small animals to pass and light to reach
the ground. Besides, genetic diversity also prevents the spread of diseases. It
boosts the populations of elephants by helping them to adjust to the changes in
their environments.
Two major
population growth models that can be used to determine the growth pattern of
the elephants' populations are the logistic growth and exponential growth
models. The population of elephants increases over time based on the number of
available species to reproduce without considering the available resources under
the exponential growth model. The size of the elephants' populations increases
exponentially overtime in the exponential growth model.
Management
techniques for the elephant population are required to maintain the delicate
balance of the remaining elephants' species. It has become vital for the
communities in Africa where more elephants are remaining to focus on
strengthening their relevant domestic regulatory regimes to protect their
populations of elephants. The communities in Africa should intervene and
prioritize traducing new and harsh laws against illegal poaching and illegal
tradeoff elephants' ivory. The communities should also discourage illegal
poaching and illegal sales of elephants’ ivories to nature for the existing
survival of the remaining elephants' populations.
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