An Economy for Elephants: Thriving in a Biodiverse World
By Tessa Vanderkop, Director of Elephanatics
On this Earth Day, I find myself looking back at a time when the state of our world—and the slow elimination of elephants—felt like a reason only for tears. For years, I held a deep love for these intelligent, social, and ecologically vital beings, yet the problem always felt too vast for one person to change.
The statistics are horrifying and by now well known. Every 15 minutes an elephant is poached for its ivory (15,000 to 20,000 annually). The precipitous population decline from approximately 1.3 million in 1970s to 350,000 today puts them at risk of extinction within the our generation.
When the team at Elephanatics and I co-led the Ivory-Free-Canada campaign, it took years of collective effort to tighten Canada’s outdated ivory regulations. That dedication paid off in November 2023 when the government announced historic amendments to the Wild Animal and Plant Trade Regulations (WAPTR). Enacted on January 8, 2024, these new laws effectively closed Canada’s borders to the import and export of raw ivory and rhino horn, and finally banned the importation of hunting trophies.
It was a meaningful victory, but a sobering one.
Because these kinds of wins, as important as they are, remain fundamentally insufficient in the face of a much larger crisis.
A landmark 2019 report from the United Nations found that over one million species are now at risk of extinction. Human activity has altered 75% of terrestrial environments and 40% of marine ecosystems. We are degrading soils, polluting waterways, and pushing critical systems toward collapse. In the past two decades alone, half of the world’s coral reefs have been lost.
Elephants are not disappearing in isolation. They are part of a much broader unraveling with scientists warning that we’re approaching a tipping point toward potential collapse.
When we look closely at the threats facing elephants, poaching, habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, and fragmentation, we begin to see that something much larger is happening. They are symptoms of the same underlying system: an economy built on extraction.
The very nature of our economy is based on extractive practices, known as the “take, make, waste” capital economy that focusses on profit as the key indicator of success. If we take elephants as an example, the quadruple threats of biodiversity loss, human wildlife conflict, habitat fragmentation and poaching we can see more clearly that the economic system that we created serves the profit goals primarily of shareholders and boards and not the greater good of people and planet. The very resources that fuel this economy are limited and this shortsightedness has left us in a mess of our own making.
A redesign of our economic system is desperately required. Economic systems are created by humans and can be reengineered to align with the well-being of all. The good news is the “well-being” or “purpose” economy is already well underway.
A purpose economy is an economy powered by the pursuit of long-term well-being for all in which business and regulatory and financial systems foster an equitable, flourishing, resilient future.
The Canadian Purpose Economy Project was founded for exactly this reason. As we work with adjacent movements in the circular economy, clean energy transition and the wellbeing economy we can see the offramp to the legacy economic system (current system) that has fueled the climate and biodiversity crisis, fostered inequality, war and global instability.
Can we staunch the bleeding before it’s too late? The work that so many do to enact measures and regulations will and can help. But it won’t change the flawed foundations on which we have built the modern economy. The work I do in the purpose economy is fueled by my passion to save the world’s elephants. Let’s re-imagine an economic system where humans, our beautiful planet and yes, elephants can thrive for now and future generations
People driving change are ordinary everyday people finding something they’re passionate about and deciding to take small extraordinary steps every day to try to make a difference.
It often starts by recognizing what you are incredibly passionate about, and understanding what your unique strengths are to help advance your cause.
What are your strengths and what moves you to make the world a better place?
For over a decade, we at Elephanatics Foundation have been powering bold elephant advocacy across Canada and Africa. Our mission is clear and drives everything we do: educate, conserve, and take action for elephants and the ecosystems they inhabit.
Why Elephants Matter
How We Take Action: From Savanna to Policy Table
Frontline Conservation: Our sustained partnership with the Mara Elephant Project (MEP) in Kenya connects your support to life-saving work, including funding anti-poaching patrols, utilizing GPS collars for real-time tracking, and implementing human-elephant conflict mitigation strategies.
Historic Policy Win: We lead influential policy campaigns — for example, the Ivory-Free Canada coalition that successfully implemented a historic ban on the elephant ivory trade in Canada in November 2023.Read more here
Public Awareness: We provide educational resources and raise public awareness, making elephant protection a cause people can engage with, not just observe.Find resources here
Fundraising & Amplification: We actively fundraise for specific, high-impact conservation needs (like our World elephant Day support for MEP’s Loita Forest project). Critically, for Giving Tuesday on December 2nd, we will amplify MEP’s urgent field work across our channels, encouraging our supporters todonate directly here to their frontline efforts.
What’s Coming Up: CITES CoP20
From November 24 to December 5, 2025, representatives from 185 countries will gather in Samarkand, Uzbekistan for the 20th meeting of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).ElephanaticsFoundation has submitted a position letter to Canada’s Scientific Management Authority outlining opposition arguments to Proposals by African countries wanting to reopen the ivory trade. The cost to elephants for any renewed trade would be catastrophic, as a legal market would inevitably provide cover for illegal poaching, creating a devastating surge in demand that would once again drive elephant populations toward extinction.
Ongoing Policy Work
We continue to work in collaboration with other global NGOs, sending letters to MPs and Federal Ministers regarding the urgent need for an additional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) to tackle the illegal wildlife trade.The 13th session of the Conference of the Parties (CoP) to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) is scheduled to take place in October 2026 in Vienna, Austria. We will continue to advocate on this critical topic more aggressively.
A Final Call to Action
Elephanatics Foundationis turning the tide for elephants — from classrooms in Canada and the US to the savannas of Africa — by merging education with on-the-ground conservation and policy power. With the global spotlight shifting to the critical negotiations at CITES CoP20 this November, the time to support organizations working against the reopening of the ivory trade is critical. This makes Giving Tuesday (December 2nd) an excellent time to provide the vital funds these organizations need to continue their advocacy work and protect the future of the species. Donate directly to MEP’s frontline effortshere.
Thank You
We thank you for being a committed Elephanatics follower. Whether through sharing our posts or donating on Giving Tuesday, December 2nd, you are a vital partner in our fight to secure a future free of the ivory trade. We are deeply grateful for your continued advocacy and support.
Summer is here, a time for relaxation and reflection. Here are some wins and good news on our radar for our elephant lovers!
The Fran Duthie African Elephant Conservation Scholarship application for 2025 is now open and will be administered by the Mara Elephant Project. Accepting applications until the end of July, this scholarship provides financial support, and hands-on training for Kenyan students. The scholarship is intended for students pursuing conservation or a related field. The goal of this scholarship is to provide financial support to Kenyan nationals acquiring a technical certificate, undergraduate or postgraduate degree in an area related to conservation and the protection of wildlife. Alongside the financial support, this scholarship will provide practical experience to the scholar during their studies by undertaking a 1-month internship with a Kenyan conservation organization.
We’re thrilled to share that The Mara Elephant Project is currently hosting recipient Mary Wangari at HQ for a one-month internship. Read more here.
It takes a village! A big elephantine thank you to Vegan Supply for once again letting us be their ‘jar donation’ recipient for the month of June. With their support we were able to raise funds to support our education and conservation programs. Vegan Supply is one of North America’s largest vegan online marketplaces.
Mark Your Calendars! August 12th is World Elephant Day!
#worldelephantday is a day that brings the world together to help elephants. This year Elephanatics is partnering with the Mara Elephant Project for WED to raise awareness and funds for the Loita Forest that forms the eastern part of the Greater Mara Ecosystem and is home to not just elephants but many rare species. The virgin, old-growth, afro-montane forest is one of the most beautiful and intact forests in East Africa. The forest faces significant threats, particularly from current subdivision of communal to private title deed ownership. This subdivision is causing land use change which accelerates the destruction of the forest jeopardizing the wildlife residing within and the surrounding rangelands. Your much needed donations will be matched and will fund critical activities to protect this area. Donate here.
Advocacy Alert
Working in collaboration with other global NGOs the Elephanatics team has sent letters to MPs and Federal Ministers regarding the urgent need for a global agreement, taking the form of an additional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) to tackle the illegal wildlife trade. Supporting the work of Global Initiative to end Wildlife Crime, Elephanatics will continue to engage and advocate for urgent action to be taken to bring to fruition a global treaty to combat the illegal trade by integrating offences into international criminal law. Read more here.
Fun Fact!
How can you tell the difference between elephant and mammoth ivory? To save elephant populations from extinction, the international community banned the sale of their ivory—but selling mammoth ivory remains legal, and the two are difficult to tell apart, especially for non-experts. This leaves a possible loophole for sellers of poached ivory to exploit. Now stable isotope analysis could provide a cheap, rapid option to speed up sample screening and stop the sale of elephant ivory! Read more here.
In Vancouver, the days are getting longer, bursting with spring green, and across the globe magnificent elephants continue their ancient journeys. Elephanatics works hard to encourage education about these amazing creatures within schools, the community, and online. We believe that understanding these incredible creatures is the first step towards protecting them. Join us as we explore the fascinating world of elephants!
This Month’s Focus: The Power of Memory
Elephants are renowned for their incredible memories, and it’s more than just folklore! Their complex social structures and survival depend heavily on their ability to remember vital information.
Watering Holes and Migration Routes: Elephants can recall the locations of distant watering holes and traditional migration paths, knowledge passed down through generations. This is crucial for navigating vast landscapes and surviving in challenging environments.
Social Bonds: They recognize family members and other individuals within their social groups, even after long separations. This memory underpins their intricate social lives and cooperative behaviours.
Threat Recognition: Elephants can remember specific threats, such as the scent or appearance of predators or past encounters with humans, allowing them to react appropriately and protect themselves and their young.
Learning and Adaptation: Young elephants learn essential survival skills by observing and remembering the actions of their elders, highlighting the importance of matriarchal knowledge.
Did You Know? Studies have shown that elephants can even differentiate between the voices and scents of different human groups, potentially remembering those who pose a threat versus those who are harmless.
Conservation Corner: Understanding Habitat Loss
One of the biggest threats facing elephants today is the loss and fragmentation of their natural habitats. This month, we want to shed light on why this is so critical:
Shrinking Spaces: As human populations grow and land is converted for agriculture, infrastructure, and development, the areas available for elephants to roam freely are shrinking.
Increased Conflict: Habitat loss often leads to increased encounters between elephants and humans, resulting in conflict over resources and safety for both.
Disrupted Migration: When traditional migration routes are blocked, elephants can be cut off from vital resources like water and food, impacting their survival.
Ecosystem Impact: The loss of elephant habitat also has a ripple effect on entire ecosystems, as elephants play a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity. They are a keystone species.
Upcoming Events:
Our African Elephant Specialist, Dr Rene Beyers, will be giving an online presentation May 23, with Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants, VP of Education, Jesse Hildebrand. Don’t miss this exciting educational broadcast on Rewilding and its global importance in saving wildlife and ecosystems!
Wildlife Conservation Conferences / Symposiums coming up in May and July:
Canadian Environmental Crime Symposium (CECRN) (May 8th and 9th – 9am-5:30EDT) Launch of the first CECRN. Presented online or in person. Topics include transnational environmental crime, organized crime and environmental crime convergences, poaching, trafficking, crime journalism and more. Registration is free. https://lnkd.in/ere2pB2S
Global Conference on Environmental and Biological Science (GCEBS) (May 16-18, 2025): Taking place in Vancouver, Canada. This conference covers a broad range of topics, including conservation biology and biodiversity conservation. To be held at The University of British Columbia, located at 800 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 3B7, Canada, in Room C215.
Annual International Conference of the Wildlife Disease Association (July 27 – August 1, 2025): This conference focuses on wildlife health and its connection to conservation. Held at 720 Douglas St, Victoria BC, V8W 3M7, Canada.
What Can You Do? Supporting organizations like Elephanatics helps fund initiatives that work to protect and restore elephant habitats through anti-poaching efforts, community engagement, and advocating for conservation policies such as rewilding.
Get Involved!
Share the Knowledge: Help us spread awareness by sharing this newsletter and facts about elephants with your friends and family.
Follow Us on Social Media: Stay up-to-date with our latest news, photos, and educational content on Facebook / Instagram / Threads / X and our website elephanatics.org
Join our community of dedicated elephant advocates! We need volunteers of all kinds! Contact us @ elephanatics.org/volunteer
Consider a Donation: Your contribution, no matter the size, directly supports our educational programs and conservation efforts. Visit elephanatics.org/donate
OR donate to the Fran Duthie African Elephant Scholarship. The goal of this scholarship is to provide financial support to Kenyan nationals acquiring a technical certificate, undergraduate or postgraduate (Masters or PhD) degree in an area related to conservation and the protection of wildlife. Donations go to maraelephantproject.org/donate
Thank you for continuing to be a vital part of Elephanatics community. Together, we can ensure a future where elephants thrive.
Until next time, enjoy the longer days and sunshine!
The Team at Elephanatics elephanaticsinfo@gmail.com
It is with great pride and excitement to announce that Dr. Jake Wall, co-founder of Elephanatics and #EarthRanger, has been awarded the Esmond B. Martin Royal Geographic Society Prize for 2025 – an honour recognizing outstanding individual achievement in the pursuit and application of geographical research, with a particular emphasis on wildlife conservation and environmental research studies.
“Dr Wall has been at the forefront of leveraging technology to create freely available geospatial tools for the benefit of wildlife conservation in Africa and beyond for the last 20 years. Jake’s dedication and passion for wildlife is matched only by his tireless efforts to provide conservationists with the tools and methods they need to better protect the natural world.His approach has been methodical and detailed focusing on the benefits, not only to the natural landscape, but the communities that live along side these majestic animals.
As Director of Research and Conservation for the Mara Elephant Project (MEP), Jake established a long-term elephant monitoring programme and developed an application to easily map landscapes, especially fences, which have become a major threat to wildlife movements in the Mara ecosystem. Prior to working with MEP, Jake worked as the Geospatial Scientific Advisor to Save the Elephants for 15 years where he developed a real-time tracking system to visualise GPS data from collared African elephants across the continent. Algorithms scanned the data and, among other things, sent alerts when elephants had moved unusually fast, suggesting panic, or had stopped moving which might indicate a poaching event. In partnership with Save the Elephants and the Allen Institute for AI, this system was expanded into EarthRanger, now used by over 600 sites across 74 countries and growing rapidly.
To complement EarthRanger, Jake is now leading the development of Ecoscope, which provides users with access to ready-made analytics from sources of publicly available remote sensing data. It allows researchers and conservationists to easily engage with the data and generate meaningful outputs, thereby turning conservation data into information to improve decision making, insight and the protection of ecosystems.”
Congratulations Jake! You are very deserving of such a prestigious acknowledgement. Team Elephanatics is extremely proud of all your hard work and devotion to protecting the greatest animal ever created!
“I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round…as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time.”
All year long elephant conservation organizations work compassionately and conscientiously to make the world a better place for elephants – proving that, with consistent efforts, the essence of the holiday spirit is manifested through their accomplishments. The whole planet reaps the benefit of natures tending and the charitable giving of those who have supported these efforts. For this, we are extremely grateful and thankful to all of you who have been part of our success in reaching our goals to broaden our outreach in education and advocacy awareness campaigns for elephants during the year.
Throughout 2024 there has been several positive conservation efforts made globally by organizations to increase protection for elephants. Some include:
Strengthened Anti-Poaching efforts
Habitat Protection and Restoration efforts
Collaboration with other conservation organizations
Community building efforts
Research and Monitoring
Technology and Innovation – to include the use of drones as a major asset to help protect and monitor elephants
Education outreach
Policy advocacy
Elephanatics has been proactive at building out our education efforts by collaborating with our partner organization, Mara Elephant Project, in Kenya. We are very excited about this partnership! We offer a variety of FREE educational resources for teachers, educators and students to utilize. Education is key to understanding the problems elephants encounter on a daily basis from poaching, human-elephant conflict and habitat loss, to creating co-existence strategies to counter these issues. The benefits of collaborating with an organization that deals with these concerns is paramount to building capacity and resilience against further threats to elephants and all wildlife. We also continue to support organizations and policymakers that aim to strengthen the international legal framework to prevent and combat wildlife trafficking.
Our wish for you this holiday season is to find peace in the least expected places, use that peace to bring calm to others, and to forge ahead into 2025 with renewed ambitions and hopes.
Today is a perfect day to stop and reflect and give thanks to Elephanatics great Team!
Together we have made a significant impact on the preservation of #elephants and #wildlife through a concerted team effort. Thank you for your continued ‘elephantastic’ work and commitment to our natural world.
The sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is taking place in Cali in Columbia, from 21 October to 1 November 2024. Canada’s Kunming-Montreal Declaration aims to set ambitious goals to halt the loss of biodiversity, promote sustainable development, and enhance global environment efforts by 2030. Elephanatics has written letters and sent emails to the Ministers of Environment and Climate Change and MP’s across Canada asking that they support the merits of a global agreement in the form of an additional protocol to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Crime (UNTOC) to strengthen the international legal framework to tackle illegal wildlife trade. Because the illegal wildlife trade is so interconnected with biodiversity loss, a global agreement is the next logical step to take.
We hope you consider writing your MP to support our ask. Find a pre-written letter here (featured Item)
Find your MP here
See our communication below:
……………………..
The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, P.C., M.P., Minister of Environment and Climate Change, House of Commons, Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
via email: Steven.Guilbeault@parl.gc.ca
cc:
Hon. Mélanie Joly, P.C., M.P., Minister of Foreign Affairs melanie.joly@parl.gc.ca
Hon. Arif Virani, P.C., M.P., Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada arif.virani@parl.gc.ca
September 18, 2024
Dear Minister Guilbeault,
Please see attached letter sent to you March 7, 2024, in reference to strengthening the international legal framework to tackle the illegal wildlife trade by considering the merits of a global agreement in the form of an additional protocol to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Crime (UNTOC). Despite the scale and impact of IWT – one of the largest illegal markets in the world – a global agreement covering this topic still does not exist.
The sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is taking place in Cali in Columbia, from 21 October to 1 November 2024. Canada’s Kunming-Montreal Declaration aims to set ambitious goals to halt the loss of biodiversity, promote sustainable development, and enhance global environment efforts by 2030. Because the illegal wildlife trade is a direct threat to biodiversity the inclusion of a new protocol under UNTOC in the form of a global agreement needs to be considered seriously as part of the Kunming-Montreal framework to curb biodiversity loss. A protocol under UNTOC would show a strong commitment in working with partners to help curb the illegal wildlife trade and would also help bring other countries up to Canadian standards for wildlife trade.
TARGET 4: Halt Species Extinction, Protect Genetic Diversity, and Manage Human-Wildlife Conflicts
“Ensure urgent management actions to halt human induced extinction of known threatened species and for the recovery and conservation of species, in particular threatened species, to significantly reduce extinction risk, as well as to maintain and restore the genetic diversity within and between populations of native, wild and domesticated species to maintain their adaptive potential, including through in situ and ex situ conservation and sustainable management practices, and effectively manage human-wildlife interactions to minimize human-wildlife conflict for coexistence.”
(q) “Enhanced collaboration, cooperation and synergies between the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Protocols, other biodiversity-related conventions, other relevant multilateral agreements and international organizations and processes, in line with their respective mandates, including at the global, regional, subregional and national levels, would contribute to and promote the implementation of the Framework in a more efficient and effective manner;”
The illegal wildlife trade imperils biodiversity, contributes to climate change, creates economic instability in communities and is responsible for global pandemics. The way forward is to unify and collaborate with similar organizations and partners to thwart biodiversity loss.
Once again, we ask that you consider a new protocol under the UNTOC in the form of a global agreement to strengthen the international legal framework to tackle the illegal wildlife trade.
The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, P.C., M.P., Minister of Environment and Climate Change, House of Commons, Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6 via email: Steven.Guilbeault@parl.gc.ca
cc: Hon. Mélanie Joly, P.C., M.P., Minister of Foreign Affairs melanie.joly@parl.gc.ca Hon. Arif Virani, P.C., M.P., Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada arif.virani@parl.gc.ca
March 7, 2024
Dear Minister Guibeault,
A coalition of organizations co-signed a letter written by the Global Initiative to End Wildlife Crime, addressing the need to strengthen the international legal framework to tackle the illegal wildlife trade (IWT), and was sent to you on 7 September 2023, asking for ways to better understand Canada’s views on how best to tackle wildlife trafficking at the international level. I am following up and have added more points to the initial letter sent by Global Initiative to End Wildlife Crime and coalition to further support our request.
Despite the scale and impact of IWT – one of the largest illegal markets in the world – a global agreement covering this topic still does not exist. We are writing to ask you to support this initiative by considering the merits of a global agreement, taking the form of an additional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC). As stated in theletter:
“The size and scale of wildlife trafficking is truly a global challenge and one that demands urgent action. The value of illegal trade has been estimated at between $7 and $23 billion per year.” A report by FINTRAC acknowledges, “illegal wildlife trade not only affects Canada, but poses a serious threat internationally”. Canada has signaled that this is a priority issue to address, both at home and abroad, and we were pleased to see that the mandate letter released by the Prime Minister on 16 December 2021, included a commitment for Canada to “work with partners to curb illegal wildlife trade”.
In the same mandate letter, the Canadian Government mandated an end to the elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn trade in Canada. We were very pleased to see these regulations enacted 20 November 2023. It is now time to deliver on the third item in this part of the mandate letter : new actions to combat the illegal wildlife trade.
Additionally, in December 2023, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released an updated report containing the views of 73 States and the European Union on the potential of an additional Protocol to the UNTOC covering wildlife trafficking. UNODC did not produce an analysis of the report, but the Global Initiative to End Wildlife Crime – at the request of Angola – did and concluded that around 78% of the responding States are either in favour of a Protocol or open to discussing it: PRESS-RELEASE-07-DEC-UN-report-shows-clear-majority-of-States-now-favour-a-new-global-agreement-against-wildlife-trafficking-.pdf (endwildlifecrime.org)
February marked the 10th anniversary of a declaration signed by Canada and 41 other countries at the first London conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade, 2014, to implement actions to:
(1) improve law enforcement, (2) improve legal frameworks against IWT (3) reduce demand for illegal wildlife and (4) support alternative livelihoods.
Beyond Canada’s commitment of a $2 million donation in emergency funding to combat illegal wildlife trade activities in East and Central Africa, and the recent ban of elephant ivory and rhino horn along with the import of hunting trophies containing these parts, have there been further measures Canada has put into place to support the declaration signed at the London Conference?
Canada is putting together its action plan for the Global Biodiversity Framework to show action on Kunming-Montréal convention prior to CoP 16 in the fall. Because the illegal wildlife trade is a direct threat to biodiversity the inclusion of a new protocol under UNTOC would be proactive to add to its strategy on how best to curb biodiversity loss.
A protocol under UNTOC would also help bring other countries up to Canadian standards for wildlife trade.
As Minister of Environment and Climate Change, you have an important role to play in the future of our planet and the wildlife that we are intrinsically tied to for our own survival. The illegal wildlife trade undermines governance, corrupts and weakens security within a country as well as threatens its economies and biodiversity.It is imperative we end wildlife trafficking to cease the destruction of global biodiversity, help mitigate climate change, avoid future pandemics, and protect communities and economies that are reliant on the use of sustainable natural resources.
Supporting a global agreement in the form of an additional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) would show a strong commitment in working with partners to help curb the illegal wildlife trade.Thank you for your attention to this request.
It’s Back To School and we have some great news for all educators!
Elephanatics and Mara Elephant Project are offering educators a unique opportunity to invite via Zoom a Mara Elephant Project ranger or researcher into your classroom. Students will have the chance to interact with a Kenyan conservationist and learn more about the work they are doing to protect elephants and their habitats in the Greater Mara Ecosystem.
Go to link below to book your spot today and share with fellow friends, teachers and educators!
