Through the African Elephant Conservation Fund, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's International Affairs Program supports the conservation of African savanna and forest elephants and their habitats across Africa's 37 elephant range countries. Collaborating with national governments, U.S. agencies, and a diverse array of other partners, we implement a strategic, results-based approach to African elephant conservation. Supported activities range from preventing or tackling poaching and conducting applied research and monitoring, to developing and executing ivory action plans and mitigating human-elephant conflict.
What We Do
Our Laws and Regulations
Enacted in 1988 as an amendment to the Endangered Species Act, the African Elephant Conservation Act aims to protect African elephant species in the wild (see full text of original legislation). A major threat to African elephants' survival comes from the illegal trade of ivory, which is derived from an elephant’s tusks. Additionally, many countries in Africa that have elephant populations lack the necessary resources to protect, manage, and conserve them. The act grants the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service the authority to establish the African Elephant Conservation Fund to provide funding for projects that benefit African elephants through research, conservation, and management of the species and its habitat.
