The African savannah elephant is the largest extant terrestrial mammal in the world. Elephants are highly intelligent and social animals and play an important role as ecosystem engineers.Tanzania is home to the third-largest population of African savannah elephants on the continent, and the largest in East Africa comprising about 60% of East Africa’s elephants. Elephants are one of the charismatic species that make Tanzania such a popular destination for wildlife tourism. Furthermore, elephants are of conservation concern as they have experienced significant population decline in Africa and in Tanzania due to poaching for ivory. African savannah elephant populations are also threatened by human-elephant conflict and habitat loss. African savannah elephants were recently classified as endangered which further signals that elephant population is in trouble.
Therefore, it is important to make commitment to protecting landscape areas large enough to conserve viable elephant populations of global importance. TEF conduct its research and monitoring program in Arusha National Park, Enduimet WMA, Mkomazi-Tsavo ecosystem and Tarangire-Manyara ecosystem. Our research and monitoring program aims to;
