Nigeria has launched its first-ever National Elephant Action Plan, a strategic move aimed at safeguarding the country’s rapidly dwindling elephant population.
This initiative is designed to combat the human-induced threats that have driven Nigerian elephants to the brink of extinction, such as poaching and habitat destruction.
The plan focuses on several key objectives, including reducing illegal killings and trade, preserving elephant habitats, raising public awareness, and promoting community-led vigilance.
However, the Minister of State for Environment, Iziaq Adekunle Salako emphasized that the plan represents a comprehensive approach to wildlife protection.
“This marks an escalation of Nigeria’s commitment to preserving our natural resources,” Salako stated.
“We are also concentrating on the host communities living near these elephants, providing them with alternative livelihoods through the conservation of our elephants.”
Over the past decade, Nigeria has become a major hub for the illegal wildlife trade, particularly in elephant ivory and pangolin scales.
The Elephant Protection Initiative Foundation has reported that Nigeria accounts for nearly 25% of the world’s seized ivory. Consequently, the country’s elephant population has plummeted to just 300 to 400 animals, a quarter of its size from three decades ago.
In addition to the threats posed by poachers and habitat destruction, human-elephant conflicts — especially as elephants encroach on farmland — are contributing to the decline in their numbers.
Andrew Dunn, the Country Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society and author of the National Elephant Action Plan, highlighted the plan’s eight main objectives, which range from enhancing law enforcement to promoting conservation education and sustainable livelihoods.
“It’s a comprehensive document with a strong focus on mitigating conflicts between farmers and elephants, a serious issue in Nigeria,” Dunn said. “Losing our elephants would be a catastrophic and irreversible tragedy.”
In 2010, all 36 African elephant range states committed to developing strategies to ensure a secure future for the continent’s elephants. In line with this commitment, Nigeria and Cameroon established a wildlife protection partnership in April to address cross-border wildlife crimes.
As the world celebrated World Elephant Day on August 12, Nigerian authorities hailed the launch of the National Elephant Action Plan as a significant step forward in the global effort to protect these majestic animals.