An Asian elephant at Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary. Filio Agoo & Everland via Keo Seima REDD+
The international conservation organisation World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) estimates that the population of elephants in Southeast Asia and China currently stands between 8,000 and 11,000, with Cambodia home to an estimated 400 to 600.
WWF has expressed concern over the severe loss of Asian elephant habitats and is calling for urgent action to conserve the region's most significant remaining populations.
On World Elephant Day, August 12, WWF Cambodia highlighted that Asian elephants now occupy only five per cent of their historic range. WWF Asia-Pacific stated that these pachyderms, now confined to just a fraction of their former habitats, are crucial witnesses to the ongoing loss of habitat and biodiversity.
The organisation noted that the remaining populations in Southeast Asia and China are spread across eight countries.
The WWF called for united efforts to conserve wild Asian elephants and their vital habitats. It emphasised the need for swift action, from policy initiatives and habitat restoration to protection from poaching, to bring this iconic species back from the brink of extinction.
WWF identified four critical threats it is working to address: habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching and illegal wildlife trade, human-elephant conflict and small or isolated populations.
“But if we act quickly and collectively, we can change this. Together, we can inspire urgent action and attention towards conserving and expanding the spaces where they continue to roam alongside millions of other rare and remarkable species on the brink,” WWF Cambodia stated on its social media.
Another conservation organisation, Fauna & Flora’s Cambodia Programme, marked the day by highlighting its ongoing collaboration with local authorities and communities to preserve the elephants. Their focus includes long-term population monitoring using camera traps and DNA testing of elephant dung.
“We also conduct community patrols to monitor the activities of Asian elephants in the Cardamom Mountains and work with local communities to reduce human-elephant conflicts by providing educational materials and tools to help locals prevent elephants from consuming or damaging local cropland,” the organisation stated.
Khvay Atitya, spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment, stated that an estimated 400 to 600 Asian elephants are present in Cambodia, primarily in the Cardamom Mountains and the northeastern provinces.
“Elephant habitats are crucial, and we must protect them,” he emphasised. “We are continually strengthening our conservation measures and not giving up. The government has a vision to increase green cover by 60 per cent by 2050, which is part of our strategy to enhance forest cover for the peaceful existence of biodiversity, including elephants.”
Atitya further explained that to conserve natural resources and ecological richness, including elephants, the ministry is fully enforcing laws against natural resource crimes “without exception”.
He highlighted ongoing cooperation with local authorities to improve efforts, including the use of satellite maps to manage and respond to environmental crimes promptly.
Additionally, the ministry is collaborating with the national military, the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) and other relevant institutions to strengthen the effectiveness of law enforcement. The promotion of tree planting and efforts to improve community livelihoods are also underway, he added.
“We are working to improve community livelihoods because [they] serve as a shield to protect natural resources and elephant sanctuaries,” Atitya said. “By providing alternatives such as ecotourism, farming and animal husbandry, we help communities reduce their reliance on the forest and hunting for their livelihoods.”
He also mentioned that the country has developed a National Action Plan for the Conservation of Asian Elephants for the years 2020-2029. He stressed that the effort cannot be achieved in isolation but requires the participation of all relevant institutions.
The ministry highlighted the significance of conserving Asian elephants, noting that these animals are vital both culturally and ecologically. The ministry underscored the potential to protect and conserve other species within the scope of elephant habitats as well.
Two elephant deaths have been recorded in Mondulkiri province so far this year. In January, a baby elephant died from gunshot wounds, and in May, a female elephant died from severe leg injuries and long-term malnutrition after being trapped in mud at the Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary.
