How does the extinction of elephants threaten the future of the climate? A study warns of a carbon catastrophe in Africa.

Written by: Mohammed Omran

In the heart African forestsElephants are not just endangered animals, but they play a crucial role in maintaining the balance of the environment and confronting climate change.

Elephants are a natural line of defense against the climate crisis in Africa

With poaching rates rising and their numbers declining alarmingly, a recent scientific study has sounded the alarm, warning that the disappearance of elephants could open the door to a global environmental catastrophe by reducing the forests’ ability to absorb carbon and increasing emissions that cause global warming.

Elephants are a natural line of defense against the climate crisis in Africa

A recent scientific study has warned that the disappearance of elephants from African forests could exacerbate the global climate crisis, due to the declining ability of forests to store carbon and the rise in greenhouse gas emissions.

Researchers confirmed that the extinction of forest elephants in Africa could cause an increase in the amount of carbon emitted into the atmosphere by about 7%, while preserving them could provide a huge environmental service valued at about $43 billion, by supporting carbon dioxide storage processes within forests.

The presence of elephants within rainforests helps the growth of giant trees.

The study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, explained that the presence of elephants within rainforests helps the growth of large, long-lived trees capable of absorbing larger amounts of carbon, while their absence leads to the spread of small trees that are less efficient at trapping harmful gases.

Forest elephants remove small plants while grazing.

The researchers pointed out that forest elephants, while grazing, remove small plants and weak trees, which reduces competition for water, light and space, and allows larger, tougher trees to grow and thrive, thus increasing carbon storage rates within African forests.

According to the study, the disappearance of elephants could lead to the loss of about 7% of aboveground biomass in the forests of West and Central Africa, which is equivalent to the emission of nearly 3 billion additional tons of carbon into the atmosphere.

Simulation models have also shown that having just one elephant per square kilometer can increase forest biomass by an average of 60 tons per hectare, enhancing the forest's ability to cope with climate change.

Elephants and their role in protecting African forests

The study added that the areas where elephants live have up to 70% more vegetation cover compared to forests without them, as the large trees block a large part of the sunlight, limiting the growth of small plants and promoting the stability of the ecosystem.

Researchers suggested that elephants are a key element in shaping the nature of African forests and distinguishing them from the Amazon rainforest, stressing that protecting these animals is not only related to preserving biodiversity, but also represents an effective tool in combating climate change and reducing carbon emissions globally.