Elephant conservation: status, threats and what helps

IUCN Red List status

Before 2021, African elephants were assessed as a single species listed as Vulnerable. Assessing them separately revealed how much worse the forest elephant's situation is.

How many elephants are left?

The most recent continental estimate for both African species together is about 415,000, from the IUCN's 2016 African Elephant Status Report. A separate status report for the forest elephant, released in November 2025, estimated about 135,690 forest elephants in surveyed areas, with the IUCN stressing that the increase over earlier figures comes from better DNA based counting, not growth. A matching report for the savanna elephant had not been published as of October 2026. For Asian elephants, the 2020 Red List assessment collated national figures of about 48,323 to 51,680 as of 2018. We explain these numbers, and why they are hard to compare, in How many elephants are left in the world?

Poaching and the ivory trade

Elephants are killed for their tusks, and in some areas for meat. The IUCN reports that both African species declined sharply after 2008 because of a surge in poaching that peaked in 2011 and continues to threaten populations. International commercial trade in ivory has been banned under CITES since 1990, but WWF notes that demand, especially in Asian markets, kept illegal killing going, and that 2016 saw the largest volume of illegal ivory seized since records began in 1989. Under CITES, the Asian elephant and most African elephant populations are listed in Appendix I, the strictest level; the populations of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe are listed in Appendix II.

Poaching does more than reduce numbers. It targets the largest tusked animals, often older bulls and matriarchs, removing the experience families rely on, and in some heavily poached populations it has increased the share of tuskless elephants. In Asia, where many males are naturally tuskless, the Smithsonian reports that poaching of tuskers in southern India has distorted breeding patterns.

Habitat loss and fragmentation

Conversion of land to farms, plantations, settlements, roads and mines is a major threat to all three species. WWF reports that the African elephant range shrank from about 3 million square miles in 1979 to just over 1 million in 2007, and that logging, mining and plantations also open remote forests to poachers. Asian elephants are confined to fragments of a once vast range; palm oil expansion in Malaysia and Indonesia is one driver the Smithsonian highlights. Because elephants need large areas, protected areas alone are often too small, and corridors that let them move between areas are a priority.

Human elephant conflict

When elephants and people share land, elephants raid crops, damage property and sometimes kill people, and people kill elephants in return or in defense. The IUCN reports that in India alone, conflict causes more than 400 human deaths and more than 100 elephant deaths each year. Reducing conflict is now central to elephant conservation: approaches include land use planning that keeps corridors open, early warning systems, compensation schemes, and deterrents such as chili and beehive fences. WWF describes "chili bombs" made from dung and chili, and Save the Elephants' Elephants and Bees Project studies how beehive fences can keep elephants out of farms while giving farmers honey to sell.

Captivity and tourism

Thousands of Asian elephants live in captivity, many working in tourism. In 2017 World Animal Protection surveyed 2,923 elephants at 220 tourist venues in Thailand, Sri Lanka, Nepal, India, Laos and Cambodia and judged that 77% were kept in poor or unacceptable conditions, typically chained when not giving rides or performing. Choosing observation only experiences is one of the most direct things a traveler can do; our sanctuary checklist shows what to look for. See how to see elephants ethically and Is it ethical to ride an elephant?

What actually helps

• Protection on the ground. The IUCN credits anti poaching work, supportive laws and land use planning with stabilizing forest elephants in well managed areas of Gabon and the Republic of the Congo, and with keeping savanna elephants stable or growing for decades in the Kavango Zambezi area.
• Coexistence with communities. Conservation lasts when people living alongside elephants benefit from it and are protected from losses.
• Better data. DNA based surveys are giving far more reliable counts, which helps target protection where it is needed most.
• Cutting demand. Never buy ivory or other elephant products, at home or abroad.
• Responsible travel. Visit elephants in the wild or at genuine observation only sanctuaries, which also supports local jobs that depend on living elephants.