Southern African elephants have given conservationists something they rarely get: good news.
A major new global report has named them as one of the world’s wildlife recovery stories.
But the same report carries a stark warning for the rest of Africa’s wildlife.
And the numbers are hard to ignore.
The findings come from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)‘s Living Planet Report 2026, released on 7 October.
It’s WWF’s flagship assessment of the state of the world’s nature, subtitled The Science of Hope.
WHY SOUTHERN AFRICAN ELEPHANTS ARE A BRIGHT SPOT
The report highlights recoveries in four groups of animals: green sea turtles, bluefin tuna, tigers and southern African elephants.
According to WWF, African savannah elephants are still declining across much of their range and remain Endangered overall.
But in parts of southern Africa, some populations are increasing.
WWF credits this partly to communities.
Southern African countries have built legal frameworks that give local communities a direct stake in looking after elephants, through community-based natural resource management.
THE BAD NEWS FOR AFRICA’S WILDLIFE
The wider picture is far less encouraging.
According to WWF Africa, the average size of monitored wildlife populations in Africa dropped by 80% between 1970 and 2022.
Only Latin America and the Caribbean recorded a steeper regional decline.
Vultures are among the hardest hit. Eight African vulture species have declined by 62%.
Globally, monitored wildlife populations fell by an average of 73% over the same period.
The report tracked 35,803 wildlife populations across 5,790 species of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish.
WHAT’S DRIVING THE DECLINE?
WWF says the main causes are habitat loss, overexploitation and climate change.
Freshwater species have been hit hardest, with an average decline of 85%. Land-based populations fell by 69%, and marine populations by 59%.
WHY THERE’S STILL HOPE
Despite the losses, WWF says nature can recover.
Around half of the wildlife populations it monitors globally are stable or increasing.
WWF-US chief scientist Rebecca Shaw said the data shows that “nature can rebound when we take action.”
But WWF also warns that conservation wins won’t last unless the world tackles the root causes, including the way we produce food and energy.
An 80% drop in Africa’s wildlife is hard to read.
But the elephant story shows what’s possible when communities are part of the solution, not left out of it.
That’s the kind of news we need more of.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE BIGGEST THREAT TO SOUTH AFRICA’S WILDLIFE?
Let us know in the comments below…