23 August 2006
Thirteen of the world's leading elephant scientists reached agreement
yesterday on a series of guidelines that they suggest could inform government
policy for elephant management in South Africa.
The Science Round Table met for a second time 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.
Yesterday they told the Minister that:
1. African elephants are 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.
2. Elephants in confined populations can in the absence of interventions
cause changes to the composition, structure and functioning of ecosystems in
which they occur.
3. Excluding extinctions, elephant induced changes to the ecosystem are
potentially reversible.
4. The management of elephant influence on ecosystems takes place within the
context of human society and its objectives.
5. Decisions on managing elephants are dependent on stated land use
objectives, the techniques by which this can be practically achieved being
situation-specific.
6. Elephants have a high level of social organisation and consciousness.
7. The state of knowledge regarding some important aspects of elephant
management requires further research.
While recognising that the Minister has 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 are
carefully monitored. This would ensure that the short, medium and long term
consequence of each are 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.
Every proposed intervention will have to be motivated by the local managers
in a management plan that is subjected to a process of local public
consultation."
Adaptive management techniques allowed for bold initiatives to test various
management options and gain valuable insights into the most appropriate long
term implications taking into account values, ecology, economic, technical and
broader policy considerations.
Minister van Schalkwyk 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:
1. assessment of all current data,
2. 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,
3. predictive modelling that would help predict the outcome of given
actions,
4. social, political and economic research to explore stakeholder
perceptions and attitudes, costs and benefits of various options and
international considerations,
5. capacity building including human and technical resources,
6. adaptive management or orchestration of a close interface between the
practical day to day management of elephants in parks and the scientific
research programmes.
South African National Biodiversity Institute (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.
Note one
The full statement of scientific consensus read as follows:
Second Scientific Roundtable on Elephants and their impacts in South Africa
22 August 2006
1. African elephants are 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. Due to this role the absence of elephants from ecosystems that
evolved under their influence is potentially deleterious as is their
overabundance. Elephant impacts need to be managed as components of the
ecosystem.
2. The management of elephant influence on ecosystems takes place within the
context of human society and its objectives. Social, environmental, economic
and political values must be brought to bear on decision making.
3. Decisions on managing elephants are dependent on stated land use
objectives, the techniques by which this can be practically achieved being
situation specific. Influencing factors are the size of the area involved;
conservation value of the elephant population; biodiversity, social and
economic values of the area. A single uniform set of rules for elephant
management is not desirable but a differentiated and evolving best practice
guideline for various circumstances is achievable.
4. Elephants in confined populations can, in the absence of interventions,
cause changes to the composition, structure and functioning of ecosystems in
which they occur. These changes may be unacceptable. It is possible that
sustained high elephant impact will cause the local extinction of sensitive
species in the affected areas and if those constitute the major populations for
the species could lead to their endangerment or extinction.
5. Excluding extinctions, elephant induced changes to the ecosystem are
potentially reversible. The time period for which elephant influences are
apparent may exceed a human generation (30 years), for example if it requires
the re-growth of large trees or the regeneration of lost soil.
6. Elephants have a high level of social organisation and consciousness.
Behavioural consequences or objectives of management intervention should be
well considered. Their management therefore requires particularly high ethical
standards. Science can contribute an understanding of behaviour and measures of
stress to the formulation of these standards.
7. The state of knowledge regarding some important aspects of elephant
management requires further research. In particular the likely trajectory of
elephant numbers, the relationship between elephant density and a range of
ecological consequences in various ecosystems and the viability under various
circumstances of elephant density control using contraception and habitat
manipulation need further research. An active adaptive management approach
including a targeted research programme is indicated as a strategy for
combining timely action with learning.
Note two
Participants in Science Round Table 2 (SRT2) were:
1. Dr Brian Huntley, Facilitator - Director, South African National
Biodiversity Institute (SANBI).
2. Professor Norman Owen-Smith - Research Professor in African Ecology at
the University of the Witwatersrand.
3. Professor Rudi van Aarde - Professor of Zoology and Director of the
Conservation Research Unit in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Science,
University of Pretoria.
4. Professor Graham Kerley - Director, Terrestrial Ecology Research Unit,
Department of Zoology, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.
5. Dr Hector Magome - Head of Research, South African National Parks
(SANParks)
6. Dr Ian Whyte - Research Manager: Large Herbivores, SANParks.
7. Dr David Cumming - Tropical Resource Ecology Programme, University of
Zimbabwe.
8. Bruce Page - Lecturer in Ecology in the School of Conservation and
Biological Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal.
9. Professor Rob Slotow - Professor, School of Conservation and Biological
Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal.
10. Dr Bob Scholes - Systems Ecologist, Council for Scientific and
Industrial Research.
11. Dr Holly Dublin - Chair, Species Survival Commission, IUCN - The World
Conservation Union.
12. Dr Iain Douglas Hamilton - Chief Executive of Save the Elephants
13. Proffessor Kevin Rogers - Professor of Ecology in the School of Animal
Plant and Environmental Science at the University of the Witwatersrand.
For further details contact:
Mava Scott
Cell 082 411 9821
Issued by: Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
23 August 2006
