African Forest Elephant
CR

African Forest Elephant

Loxodonta cyclotis

Declining

Photo: Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Overview

A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.

African forest elephants face catastrophic population declines primarily due to intensive poaching for ivory, which has reduced their numbers by over 80% in the past decade. Habitat fragmentation from logging, agricultural expansion, and infrastructure development has isolated remaining populations and reduced available forest corridors. Mining operations and human settlements continue to encroach on their remaining forest habitat, while civil unrest in parts of their range has hampered conservation efforts.

Threat summary

Habitat

African forest elephants inhabit dense tropical rainforests across Central and West Africa, including both primary and secondary forest ecosystems. They require large territories with forest corridors connecting feeding areas, and play a crucial role as seed dispersers in maintaining forest biodiversity.

Forest· majorSavanna· majorGrassland· majorWetlands (inland) - Bogs, marshes, swamps, fens· majorDesert· major

Conservation measures underway

Site/area managementSpecies managementLegislationPolicies and regulationsCompliance and enforcement

Other threatened species in ELEPHANTIDAE

Asian ElephantEN

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African Savanna ElephantEN

African Savanna Elephant

Loxodonta africana

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Threatened in Angola

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Cape GannetEN

Cape Gannet

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Zebra DuikerVU

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Slaty EgretVU

Slaty Egret

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Frequently asked questions

Why is African Forest Elephant classified as Critically Endangered?
African Forest Elephant is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. African forest elephants face catastrophic population declines primarily due to intensive poaching for ivory, which has reduced their numbers by over 80% in the past decade. Habitat fragmentation from logging, agricultural expansion, and infrastructure development has isolated remaining populations and reduced available forest corridors. Mining operations and human settlements continue to encroach on their remaining forest habitat, while civil unrest in parts of their range has hampered conservation efforts.
Where does African Forest Elephant live?
African Forest Elephant occurs in Angola, Gambia, Senegal, South Sudan, and Sudan. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to African Forest Elephant?
The main threats to African Forest Elephant are 2.1, 4.1, 5.1, and ai-1. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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