African elephant database 1998

The African elephant is the largest living land mammal. It once inhabited most of the continent, from the Mediterranean coast down to its south tip. This picture of elephant range today is one of scattered, fragmented populations south of the Sahara Desert. Estimates suggested that elephant populations had more than halved in several areas between 1981-87. Partly as a result of the controversy that surrounds the question of trade in ivory, there is a persistent desire for regular updates on the status of elephant populations, particularly at the continental level. The African Elephant Database is a computerised information system that stores population estimates and associated geographic information for the African elephant, Loxodonta africana. This new edition contains updates made available to the IUCN/SSC African Elephant Specialist Group during 1996-98. Where no updates were available, estimates and range information from the previous edition have been retained