Species At Risk Task Force Shelby Elder

Background Information -Biodiversity: The range of organisms present in a particular ecological community or system. -Government and industry in Alberta have made commitments to maintain biodiversity. The Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Program's team of more than 20 scientists will survey a broad diversity of living organisms, habitat structures, vegetation communities and landscape patterns. -The SRD (sustainable resource development) Works to ensure a balance between the economic, environmental and social values of the province.

Categories for species at risk in Alberta  Extinct: Species no longer exists anywhere  Extirpated: Species no longer exists in Alberta but exists elsewhere.  Endangered: Species threatened with imminent extinction or extirpation throughout their range in Alberta.  Threatened: Species likely to become endangered if the factors that caused its vulnerability are not reversed.  Vulnerable: Species likely to become threatened or endangered.

Part 2- Species report African Elephant

Appearance  The African elephant, weighs up to 16,500 pounds and stands 10–13 feet tall at the shoulder. African elephants have large ears, which they flap to cool off. They have grayish to brown skin, with sparse, coarse body hair. The skin is loose, wrinkled, and very thick; on the shoulder it may be 1 inch thick. An elephant's legs are long and massive, the heel bone rests on a thick pad of flesh. Thus the elephant's hind leg has no conspicuous heel or hock joint as does the hind leg of a horse or dog. The free joint is the knee, and elephants are one of the few animals that can kneel on their hind legs. An African elephant has four hooves on the forefoot and three on the hind foot.

Adaptations  Adaptations: African elephant's have a long and flexible trunk. This adaptation lets elephants reach high into trees to get food. Elephant's use their trunk to suck up and spray water on their skin. This adaptation helps them cool off in the hot habitats. Their long tusks are sharp and curved. This adaptation allows them to dig up roots to eat.

Habitat  The elephants used to range across most of Africa but their population has declined to mostly just Botswana and Zimbabwe. They are found in dense forests, open woodlands and also savannas (dry grassy areas).

Classification  African Elephants are consumers because they eat food not produce it like plants.  More specifically they are herbivores because they only eat plants not meat.

What it eats/ What eats it  African elephants eat grass, tender shoots and bark from trees. An adult elephant can drink 200 liters of water per drinking session.  Their predators are lions and crocodiles.

Why its at risk  Why its at risk: African elephant populations were severely reduced to its current levels because of hunting for the illegal ivory trade. Loss of habitat and fragmentation is also a factor. African elephants have less room to roam than ever before as expanding human populations convert land for agriculture, settlements and developments. As habitats contract and human populations expand, people and elephants are increasingly coming into contact with each other. Where farms border elephant habitat or cross elephant migration corridors, damage to crops and villages can become commonplace. This often leads to conflicts that elephants lose. But loss of life can occur on both sides, as people may be trampled while trying to protect their livelihoods, and game guards often shoot "problem" elephants.

Current strategy for recovery  Organizations like WWF are working hard to help the African Elephants. They are reducing the illegal killing of elephants through improved protection and management, WWF equips and trains law enforcement teams so they can conduct regular and effective antipoaching patrols.  They help establish new protected areas within elephant ranges and improve management effectiveness within existing protected areas. WWF helps governments produce and adopt elephant conservation strategies, allowing them to survey, and manage elephant populations and to implement the CITES system for Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants. WWF facilitates training in elephant conservation and management techniques and help update and enforce legislation to protect elephants.  WWF has helped train park guards, villagers and communities in elephant conservation and management. In Quirimbas National Park, Mozambique, WWF worked with the local government and community to establish a park management system that would protect wildlife and livelihoods. WWF also develops and supports community-based wildlife management plans that contribute to elephant conservation while providing benefits to local people.

Sites  s.asp s.asp   efeature/african-elephant/ efeature/african-elephant/   Textbook