Elephant are the largest land mammals living on earth and they play an important role in the ecosystem balance. They are a keystone species who play a vital in maintaining the ecological balance.
As elephants move in search of food, they eat or crush small plants and trees. This allows larger, slow-growing trees get the sunlight needed to grow, prosper and capture carbon [ by thinning the forest of low carbon density trees, elephants allow more sunlight to reach the high density trees]. Fruits from these high carbon density trees are also a favorite of elephants, and the seed from these various fruits are spread throughout the forest by elephants in their dung. This dispersal and fertilization of seeds fosters the growth of more high carbon density trees, boosting the forest's ability to capture more carbon from the atmosphere.
In research studies it is also shown that just one elephant can increase the carbon capture of a rainforest by around 9,500 tons per sq km. That's approximately the amount of carbon generated by over 2,000 cars in a year.
Elephants are jew species who have an unique way of working together for the betterment of the ecosystems they call home. But due the human greed these species have endured decades of ivory poaching and today the human-elephant conflict and habitat loss is accelerating and putting them at risk. It is said forest elephants were to vanish then it would be especially devasting for Africa's rainforests. The continent's rainforests could experience a 6-9% decline in the forest's ability to absorb carbon.
A recent study suggested that only elephants fewer than 500,000 are remaining our of which most groups are living in isolated pockets. The forest population is extremely fragile, in the last three years their population is rapidly declining and now they are listed as critically endangered species.
These species matter a lot and helping them through various conservation methods and by stopping these illegal activities such as poaching is our duty.
' The elephants created this jungle. Where they've made furrows with their tusks, the rivers ran. Where they blew with their trunks, the leaves fell. They made all that belongs. The mountains. The trees. The birds in the tree. But they did not make you. That is why you must go.'
- Bagheera [ The Jungle Book]
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