South Africa: Elephant Science Roundtable Reaches Consensus


BuaNews (Tshwane)

August 24, 2006
Posted to the web August 24, 2006


Thirteen of the world's leading elephant scientists reached agreement this week on a series of guidelines that they suggested could inform government policy to manage elephant populations in the country.

The Science Round Table met for a second time in Cape Town on Tuesday at the invitation of the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk.

At the first Science Round Table held in January, the scientists agreed that there was no compelling evidence to suggest the need for immediate, large-scale reduction of elephant numbers in the Kruger National Park.

However, elephant density, distribution and population structure might need to be managed in some protected areas, including the Kruger National Park, to meet biodiversity and other objectives.

On Tuesday they told the Minister that African elephants were an important component of South Africa's biological diversity, both as a species in their own right, and as agents of change in the ecosystem.

"Elephants in confined populations can in the absence of interventions, cause changes to the composition, structure and functioning of ecosystems in which they occur," they said.

They added that excluding extinctions, elephant-induced changes to the ecosystem were potentially reversible.

The management of elephant influence on ecosystems takes place within the context of human society and its objectives.

The scientists also said decisions on managing elephants were dependent on stated land use objectives, the techniques by which this could be practically achieved being situation-specific.

In addition, elephants had a high level of social organisation and consciousness.

"The state of knowledge regarding some important aspects of elephant management requires further research."

While recognising that the Minister had to make policy decisions based on the best available scientific knowledge at the time, the scientists proposed the establishment of a multi-disciplinary, multi-stakeholder research advisory platform to oversee a 20-year research programme.

The programme would use the "adaptive management approach" (learning by doing) to ensure that the consequences of all management interventions were carefully monitored.

This would ensure that the short, medium and long term consequence of each was properly understood.

The Minister told the scientists that the concept of adaptive management would form a key pillar of the Draft Norms and Standards that would be published for public comment in the next few months.

"This will be a broad philosophical framework that provides guidance on the implementation of the National Environmental Management Act and the Biodiversity Act as they apply to elephants.

"It will spell out a range of options for managing population densities where this is necessary," said Mr Van Schalkwyk.

He said every proposed intervention would have to be motivated by the local managers in a management plan subjected to a process of local public consultation.

Minister Van Schalkwyk has since invited the scientists to develop a comprehensive research proposal and suggested that the initiative should be driven by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI).

The members of the panel agreed that the "research platform" should consist of six programmes including the assessment of all current data and a model to predict the outcome of given actions.



Other programmes would involve experimentation to establish the likely trajectory of elephant numbers, the relationship between elephant density and a range of ecological consequences in various ecosystems, and the consequences of various management options.

In addition would be a social, political and economic research to explore stakeholder perceptions and attitudes, costs and benefits of various options and international considerations.

SANBI Director, Professor Brian Huntely, who facilitated the round table discussion, said the panel would prepare a draft proposal for circulation within two to three months to the "elephant fraternity", including scientists, managers of parks, institutions and non governmental bodies.

OK, so no cull for now.

"20 year research programme."

Who's feathering whose nest here?

The standard of proof in this case is "beyond the shadow of a PETA member."

Some of their recomendations are ridicoulous.

Will you willingly drive your car into a tree because you know it can be repaired. That is exactly what the group of scientists are doing. They may end up having to scrap the car.

I have seen the devastation caused by Elephants in the Kruger. Some of our larger bird species are on the decline,due to the lack of breeding space. They prefer big trees like the Marula, their numbers are getting less and less.

Sanparks was appointed to run the parks, why does the goverment keeps on interfering. This is most probably the goverment with the longest noses I have ever heard of. They protect 1 specdies at the cost of loosing a lot of other species.

Real scientists formulate decisions from data and careful study, not from political or financial considerations. If Kruger has the correct mix and number of elephants then anything is possible if these so-called experts study it.

Dak