Review of options for managing the impacts of locally overabundant African elephants

Some of the most important decisions in wildlife management in Africa revolve around elephants. Where elephant densities increase the impact of elephants on their habitats and other species may also increase. Depending on local values and/or the land-use objectives, this impact is often seen as undesirable. Information about attempts to control wild populations of elephants is generally not readily accessible to the relevant managers and conservation authorities in Africa. The main objective of this document is to make available lessons learned from the past and from ongoing efforts to manage the negative ecological impact of African elephants, and to provide a summary of the main technical considerations and pros and cons of the different management options available.