Mali’s Gourma elephant population shows signs of recovery

Encouraging news from the Gourma region of Mali, home to Africa’s northernmost elephant population.

A recent ground survey conducted by Mali Elephant Landscapes recorded 473 elephants across the Gourma range, up from 316 elephants counted two years earlier. While long-term monitoring will be needed to confirm population trends, the results suggest a significant recovery following the devastating poaching crisis that affected the population in 2015 and 2016.

The survey was carried out by 121 trained community eco-guards working across 17 communes, supported by local communities and a network of informants who tracked elephant movements in the months leading up to the count.

Importantly, the findings indicate more than just an increase in numbers. Calves and juveniles accounted for 39% of all elephants observed, suggesting healthy recruitment and improved survival among younger animals.

The results highlight the importance of long-term, community-led conservation. For more than two decades, Mali Elephant Landscapes has worked alongside local communities to strengthen environmental governance, protect habitat, and promote sustainable natural resource management across the Gourma landscape.

Alongside monitoring elephant populations, communities are actively restoring degraded land. Over the past year alone, local restoration groups restored 285 hectares using techniques designed to improve soil health, increase water retention, and encourage the recovery of native vegetation. More than 1,000 people participated in these efforts, helping strengthen both local livelihoods and wildlife habitat.

Community eco-guards continue to play a central role in this work. Selected by their communities, they help monitor wildlife, oversee restoration activities, support locally agreed land management rules, and gather information that guides conservation decisions across the landscape.

These latest results are an encouraging reminder that when local communities are equipped and empowered to steward their lands, both people and wildlife can benefit.

Biome Conservation is proud to support Mali Elephant Landscapes and its long-standing commitment to protecting one of Africa’s most remarkable elephant populations while helping communities restore and manage the ecosystems they depend upon.