Environmental Biology and Conservation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Environmental Biology and saving - Essay ExampleThe elephants ar particularly killed for their valuable ivory that is used in the manufacture of traditional medicine particular(a)ly in China and Taiwan and making of game trophies and ornaments. In this respect, the conservation of the animals especially in the African continent has become one of top priorities in order to safeguard their all-important(a) role they play in the ecosystem. Destroying topical anaesthetic elephant habitats to create room for human settlement is an important local issue in Africa that has resulted to deaths of the African elephant. This paper examines the impact of killing the African elephant one of the threatened species, with special focus on its role in the ecosystem and the conservation measures put in place to ensure its survival. existence trends of African elephant and its major habitats The state of the African elephant has dropped sharply from nigh 1.3 million animals in the 1970s to r ound 450,000 animals today (Chris, 1999). The population of these animals has reduced drastically in their main habitats across the African continent presenting stern ecological challenges in the affected land. In view of the declining numbers, some African countries take hold established conservancies much(prenominal) as game reserves, game parks and national parks in addition to lobbying for international exile on ivory. According to Chris (1999), the African elephant, Loxodanta africana inhabited virtually all parts of the continent for many centuries. Currently, the animals are mostly concentrated on the Confederate Saharan desert, and their numbers are scattered and disjointed in the region. The habitats of elephants in the sub-Saharan Africa are divided into four main zones that complicate central, southern, western and eastern Africa (Anderson and Coe 1974). These regions wear varying human population that plays a critical role in determining the destruction of the ha bits and the sequent animal population. Human population in the central Africa is quite sparse and this region has one of the largest quality cover on the continent. The forests form an important habitat of the forest elephant, the Loxodonta African cyclotis subspecies (White and barbarian 1988). Due to the dense forests, low human population and limited destruction of the habitats, central Africa is home to about 45% of the total African elephant population (Chris, 1999). Western Africa is one of the regions in the continent that has the highest human population. Consequently, the elephant habits have largely been interfered with, causing drastic reduction in the animal population. According to Chris (1999), elephant population in the region is restricted in the fragmented habitats raging from the savannah and the remaining forested areas. According to Chris (1999), western Africa comprises of meet about 2% on the entire population of the African elephant. The countries with th e highest numbers of elephants in western Africa include Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast (Chris, 1999). The eastern Africa is another important habitat for the elephant population. Geographically, the region comprises of highlands endowed with rich volcanic soils. Consequently, the dense human population engaged in crop farming in the fertile highlands has finished habitats for the African elephant. From early 1970, to 1980, the region experienced high level of elephant poaching and the high population decimated the elephants encourage (Bengis, 1996). Chris (1999) estimated that the region accounts to about 20% of the total elephant population in the continent. Tanzania is one of the few countries with high elephant population but Kenya is recording an increasing in numbers after enforcing stringent conservation measures (Bengis, 1996). In southern Africa region, the