Elephants- The Ecosystem Engineers

Elephants are called as Ecosystem Engineers. Why?

As #elephants move and feed, they create new clearings and access to light which provide opportunity for other species to have their chance to bloom and breed and by doing so they 'engineer' the world around them. They are identified as engineers because of their ability to modify resources, not because of their trophic effect. While the impact of ecosystem engineers can be as great as keystone species, they differ in their types of impact.

They make pathways in dense forested habitat that allow passage for other animals. An elephant footprint can also enable a micro-ecosystem that, when filled with water, can provide a home for tadpoles and other organisms. Animals like beavers and elephants are rightly called engineers of their ecosystems since they have been able to sustain their own kind as well as those of several wild cohabitants. Ecosystem engineers are therefore also included within the list of notable keystone species.

They are highly intelligent animals with complex emotions, feelings, compassion and self-awareness (elephants are one of very few species to recognize themselves in a mirror!).

What would happen if elephants were removed from the ecosystem?

If the already critically endangered elephants become extinct, rainforest of central and west Africa, the second largest rainforest on earth, would gradually lose between six and nine percent of their ability to capture atmospheric carbon, amplifying planetary warming.

Can humans be ecosystem engineers?

It is not as strange as one might think because we are all ecosystem engineers. Elephants modify the landscapes they live in; earthworms change the soil they dig in; whales help distribute nutrients in the ocean. We, humans, alter our surroundings, too.

Can we live without elephants?

Without elephants, the natural structure and functioning of their landscapes would be very different, which would have impacts on the other wildlife and the people who share that space. Local people depend on natural resources found in elephant habitats, for example for food, fuel and income.

What happens if we lose elephants?

Elephants support the lives of other animals and keep their environment functioning, playing a critical role in maintaining habitat. Without elephants, ecosystems would crumble. They are engineers of biodiversity.

We say that Elephants have a big heart because they really are capable of expressing emotions. There are also studies that show the Elephant's range of emotions, which includes joy, love, grief, rage and compassion.

Elephant numbers have dropped by 62% over the last decade, and they could be mostly extinct by the end of the next decade. An estimated 100 African elephants are killed each day by poachers seeking ivory, meat and body parts, leaving only 400,000 remaining. 100+ African elephants are killed each day by poachers. Asian elephants number less than a tenth of the African elephant population, largely due to the devastation of forest ecosystems.

African elephant populations have fallen from an estimated 12 million a century ago to some 400,000. In recent years, at least 20,000 elephants have been killed in Africa each year for their tusks. African forest elephants have been the worst hit. Their populations declined by 62% between 2002-2011 and they have lost 30% of their geographical range, with African savanna elephants declining by 30% between 2007-2014. This dramatic decline has continued and even accelerated with cumulative losses of up to 90% in some landscapes between 2011 and 2015. Today, the greatest threat to African elephants is wildlife crime, primarily poaching for the illegal ivory trade, while the greatest threat to Asian elephants is habitat loss, which results in human-elephant conflict. WWF has advocated for an end to commercial elephant ivory sales in the US and other major markets like China, Thailand, and Hong Kong as the most effective and efficient solution to end this illegal ivory trade.

Elephants are also losing their habitats and ancient migratory routes due to expanding human settlements into their habitat, agricultural development, and the construction of infrastructure such as roads, canals, and fences that fragment their habitat. As a result, human-elephant conflict is rising as more and more elephants come into close contact with humans. This often leads to elephants destroying crops and property, as well as occasional human casualties. These negative interactions can result in the retaliatory killing of elephants.

In 1989, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)—a global agreement among governments to regulate or ban international trade in species under threat—banned the international commercial trade in elephant ivory. Poaching rates dropped following the action, but began to surge again around 2010, due to renewed consumer interest in purchasing elephant ivory, largely in Asia. After campaigns by WWF and other conservation groups, governments in problematic ivory markets like Hong Kong, Thailand, the US and the UK were pushed to take action to clamp down on illegal and unregulated domestic trade that was fueling the #poaching.

The Game changer

The real game changer is China—by far the largest market for elephant ivory—which banned domestic trade of elephant ivory as of January 1, 2018. Since then, Chinese consumer desire for elephant ivory has dropped and wholesale prices of elephant ivory, even on the black market, have declined. WWF has been working since to reduce consumer demand for elephant ivory and ensure the ban is effectively enforced.

China's elephant ivory ban is a historic milestone in the ongoing effort to save an iconic species. But with China’s markets closed, markets elsewhere remain open and continue to attract consumers. And as more and more Chinese travel internationally—nearly 200 million Chinese tourists travel abroad each year—incidents of elephant ivory smuggling are on the rise. WWF is working directly with these countries to support the closing of their elephant ivory markets and leverage international policy and diplomacy channels. A big focus for WWF is also changing consumer behavior to reduce elephant ivory purchasing and create a new norm that elephant ivory is not socially acceptable. I am sure WWF are working with leading online retailers, social media platforms, tourism companies, and creative agencies on this.

Strong partnerships are already in place with the travel and e-commerce sectors, with commitments to avoid promoting, handling, or selling elephant ivory. WWF is also working with a leading market research firm to conduct annual surveys of consumers to better understand consumer attitudes and desire for elephant ivory so that we can change social norms around ivory and reduce demand. Through this research, we are able to identify demographics of elephant ivory purchasers and consumers, understand their underlying motivations, and develop effective strategies to influence them.

Can we not invest a fraction of the amount that nations spend on making weapons to safeguard the life of these giant animals from poachers? do we need ivories to decorate our necks or our drawing halls of our house?

Elephants domesticated and used in Circus and places of worships

As a child I used to love ( still love) to see the elephants on the road, temple festivals and other carnivals/Circus. But it soon dawned on me that they were all bound; bound by iron chains kept in captivity in different places including places of worships. I had the opportunity to watch more than 25+ elephants being paraded in one of the famous temples . As I was enjoying the sight of these massive mammals, I also observed that they were all bound by iron chains and blood was oozing out of their wounds.

Will the deities of the places of worships be happy to see their beloved animals wounded and harmed?

Will they be wanting to have their images on top of these Massive and elegant animals and being paraded with blood oozing out of their wounds as a result of the iron chains reacting on their skin?

On one hand we pray to the Elephant God also known as the God of wisdom while we keep these dynamic, intelligent mammals captive to prove that we are more intelligent than animals???

Are we using our wisdom?

Isn't it time to free these massive elephants and let them roam free in their own habitats? the forests?

Sources:

Oxford academics

WWF

Personal observations