What can we do, sitting here, far removed from the wildlife reserves and plains of Africa, to help achieve all of this? One obvious answer is to make a financial contribution to any of the numerous, excellent elephant conservation charities that work to change lives on the ground. If you can’t give money, then time and expertise is often as gratefully received.
Many of these organisations were set up by field biologists working in Africa, who have no marketing expertise or accountancy skills, or understanding of the law, or logistics, or good administration. Offering a few hours of your time to help file their records or update their websites could be unimaginably useful.
If you can, get out there and visit these countries as responsible tourists. Pay park and reserve fees, employ local guides and drivers, visit education programmes and community conservation projects, buy elephant-friendly honey or elephant-dung paper produced by local development projects.
Putting pressure on our politicians and policymakers to take environmentally sound decisions remains critically important to ensure that economic growth is not promoted at the cost of natural places; that habitat fragmentation and pollution are properly dealt with and not ignored; and to make sure that ivory stays on elephants, not our mantelpieces. Civil society has the power. Use your voice, as elephants don’t have one.
Most, and simplest of all – remember to enjoy, respect and value nature.