The recent iucn recognition of the african forest elephant as a separate species from the savanna elephant, along with the elevation to critically endangered status, illustrates the urgent need for…

This $677,476 five-year Project Grant awarded by the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service under the African Elephant Conservation Fund (CFDA 15.620) aims to enhance sustainable conservation of the critically endangered African forest elephant. The grant will expand the capacity of the Sangha Tri-National Center for Bioacoustics Training and Analysis in the Republic of Congo to conduct passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) research and train a new generation of Central African conservationists. Key activities include:

1. Improving understanding of forest elephant conservation needs by connecting PAM monitoring across a network of over 16 protected areas, analyzing forest elephant behavioral shifts, and organizing bi-annual virtual symposia to facilitate communication of conservation strategies.

2. Building Central African capacity and leadership in conservation through a bioacoustics mentorship program and establishing a bioacoustics training module at the Garoua Wildlife College in Cameroon to equip students with PAM skills for elephant research and protection.

The recent iucn recognition of the african forest elephant as a separate species from the savanna elephant, along with the elevation to critically endangered status, illustrates the urgent need for sustainable conservation action to guarantee the survival of this species. There is a critical need for systematic and unbiased monitoring tools generating timely outputs to facilitate adaptive management strategies, as well as a sustained commitment to building in-country capacity to empower a new generation of central african conservationists. Since 2007, the elephant listening project (ELP), in collaboration with the wildlife conservation society (WCS), has been pioneering the use of passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) to study forest elephant ecology and to quantify the impact of human activity on the species, along with training teams to manage such PAM projects (largely supported by several USFWS grants). As a result, the ELP and WCS established the sangha TRI-national center for bioacoustics training and analysis, located in northern republic of congo, to facilitate the usage of PAM to inform adaptive conservation management. Led by a team of congolese experts, the center hosts workshops, assists with basic data analysis and provides mentoring for central african students. Highlighting the recognized need for PAM efforts, another kernel of expertise is emerging at the garoua wildlife college (EFG) in cameroon, where a lecturer begun hosting PAM workshops based on skills acquired during a workshop at the center. This project aims at utilizing the enormous potential of the center by expanding our bioacoustics capacity building and research efforts to further facilitate evidence-based decision making in forest elephant conservation. Positive capacity building outcomes resulting in successfully established monitoring programs require long-term commitment. As such, we request funding for a five-year project to pursue two complementary goals. 1) we aim to improve our understanding of forest elephant conservation needs to contribute to evidence-based conservation strategies at a local and regional scale. Our training activities will connect and support the implementation of PAM across a network of more than 16 participating protected areas (PAS), including community-based programs. To further facilitate cross-regional communication of forest elephant conservation needs and strategies, we will organize BI-annual virtual symposia involving participating PAS and beyond. In addition, we aim to shed light on the impact of implemented conservation strategies by synthesizing the PAM data collected across the PAS to conduct a cross regional analysis of forest elephants shifts towards nocturnal activity as an indicator of changing perception of human theat. 2) we aim to build central african capacity and leadership in conservation by providing training opportunities for aspiring central african conservation researchers and instructors at our bioacoustics center and the EFG. We will implement a bioacoustics for forest elephants mentorship program. During the 2-year programs, central african researchers will receive guidance on research utilizing bioacoustics methods to study and protect forest elephants. Importantly, we will leverage unique synergies between the center and the EFG. To complement the broad suite of skills taught at the EFG, we will establish a bioacoustics for forest elephants training module through which EFG students will receive comprehensive training in PAM methods and carry out elephant focused bioacoustics projects at the EFG field station in the DJA biosphere reserve. In addition, advanced workshops at the center will combine acoustic methods with a suite of additional tools to develop the center into a go-to hub for central african conservationists to obtain a comprehensive set of conversation-relevant skills.