The African Elephant Specialist Group (AfESG) is an integral part of the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). We mainly provide technical input to help decision makers, scientists, and wildlife managers for African elephant conservation by providing:
Updates on the numbers and distribution of both species of elephants on the African continent, available on the African Elephant Database.
Expertise for conservation strategies and management plans, publishing Pachyderm, and maintaining the African Elephant Library.
Tools and advice on managing human-elephant conflict to help coexistence. Please see the: Human-Wildlife Conflict & Coexistence Library Resource; Save the Elephants’ Human-Elephant Coexistence Toolbox 2023 Edition 2.
AfESG assesses the two African elephant species for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species to inform conservation efforts. The Red List Authority Coordinator is Kathleen Gobush.
Please email the secretariat at afesg@iucn.org with information about any other upcoming events dealing with elephant conservation.