Where are African forest elephants concentrated today?

Central Africa holds the majority of the global forest elephant population, with Gabon as the key stronghold.

How do researchers count forest elephants in dense rainforest?

DNA-based capture-recapture using fecal samples can identify unique individuals, improving census accuracy where aerial surveys are not feasible.

Why do elephants matter for climate and carbon storage?

Forest elephants can shape tree communities toward higher-carbon, high-wood-density species, supporting greater aboveground carbon stocks and long-distance seed dispersal.

Elephants (2026): Species, population, threats, and conservation

Executive snapshot

The core story in 2026: African elephants are not one population. Treating Loxodonta cyclotis (forest) and Loxodonta africana (savanna) separately reveals a high-risk forest elephant stronghold in Central Africa, contrasted with relative numerical stability in parts of Southern Africa.

Primary sources: IUCN (forest elephants), IFAW (KAZA survey), IUCN Red List (Bornean).

Forest elephant (estimated)

~135,690

DNA-based survey estimate (95% CI: 99,343–172,297)

Gabon stronghold

~95,000

~70% of global forest elephants; ~95% in Central Africa

KAZA savanna elephants

~227,900

2023 synchronized aerial survey; broadly stable trend

Asian elephant (wild)

~48k–52k

13 range states; habitat compression is the limiting factor

Bornean elephant

~1,000

Genetically distinct unit; assessed Endangered (2024)

West Africa

<10,000

Fragmented pockets; conflict + enforcement constraints

Estimates vary by method, habitat, and survey year. Values here are presented as a practical dashboard for the 2025–2026 cycle.

Three living elephant species (and why the split matters)

Conservation strategy changes when the unit of management changes. The accepted taxonomic separation of African forest and savanna elephants clarifies risk: a numerically larger savanna species with major strongholds, and a forest species concentrated in a shrinking core.

African Savanna Elephant

Loxodonta africana

IUCN: Endangered (assessment accepted 2021)
Habitat: savannas, open woodlands, arid zones
Field cues: larger body, concave “saddle” back, outward-curving tusks, massive ears

African Forest Elephant

Loxodonta cyclotis

IUCN: Critically Endangered (2021)
Habitat: Congo Basin + West African forests
Field cues: smaller size, straighter downward tusks, rounded ears (forest-adapted)

Asian Elephant

Elephas maximus

Range: 13 countries across South + SE Asia
Field cues: one “finger” on trunk tip; smaller, rectangular ears; tusks mainly in males
Core issue: fragmentation—survival depends on space and corridors

Deep-time evolution (fast timeline)

Moeritherium (37–35 MYA): semi-aquatic early proboscidean with a prehensile upper lip.
Palaeomastodon: early jaw + tusk elongation and a trunk-like apparatus.
Gomphotherium (20–10 MYA): widespread four-tusked lineage with a fully developed trunk.
Primelephas (7–5 MYA): ancestor of Elephantidae; grass-adapted dentition.
Modern split: Loxodonta diverged from the lineage leading to Elephas ~5–6 MYA.

Threat landscape (what’s actually driving decline)

Elephant threats are not uniform: forest poaching looks different from savanna poaching, and Asia’s crisis is dominated by habitat fragmentation and conflict along agricultural edges.

Illegal trade

Forest elephants: continued risk from ivory poaching in dense canopy systems.
Asia: emerging poaching pressure for skin in some regions (not only ivory).

Habitat + fragmentation

Linear infrastructure (roads/rail) increases mortality and isolates herds.
Smaller habitat patches amplify Human–Elephant Conflict (HEC) and retaliation.

HEC (conflict)

Crop raiding can erase a family’s annual harvest in a night.
Retaliation methods include poisoning, shooting, and improvised explosives.

Governance + security

Some remaining strongholds overlap regions where enforcement is constrained by insecurity.
Small, isolated populations risk genetic collapse even when poaching slows.

What's working in elephant conservation (2026)

Solutions increasingly combine tech, coexistence, and connectivity. The highest ROI often comes from reducing conflict, not only from enforcement.

Conservation tech

Thermal drones support night patrols and conflict response.
Acoustic monitoring + AI can flag gunshots or panic events for rapid response.
DNA forensics can trace seized ivory to source landscapes.

Coexistence tools

Beehive fences: reduce crop raiding while generating “elephant-friendly honey”.
Chili fences: capsaicin-based deterrence using elephants’ sensitive olfaction.
Corridor protection (“right of passage”) keeps migration off farms and roads.

Why elephants are climate-relevant (in one screen)

Elephants as climate engineers

Forest elephants can increase carbon storage by shaping tree communities (favoring high-wood-density species).
Modeling suggests elephant loss can reduce Central African rainforest aboveground carbon biomass by ~6–9%.
Seed dispersal over tens of kilometers supports forest resilience and genetic exchange.

Key reading: PNAS paper, IMF explainer.