Proposition for a phase II of the Dzanga clearing forest elephant study

The study, according to this proposal for Phase II funding, has two major implications for elephant conservation. (1) The Dzanga elephant population, which is the same as that which ranges in the Nouabale-Ndoki Forest of Congo, is one of the largest free ranging populations left in Africa. Precise population and ecological data are needed for management of this population. The data being collected at the Dzanga clearing are going well beyond anything that has been previously been done on African elephants, except for studies on the Amboseli population. These data are invaluable for herd management. (2) The constant monitoring of the Dzanga herd and presence of a permanently manned research station in the very sensitive area around the Dzanga clearing may be the best viewing place in all of Africa for elephants and is the focal point and raison d"etre of the entire Dzanga Sangha Reserve. Its protection and constant monitoring are an integral part of the protection of the Dzanga-Sangha herd because it is where elephants are most vulnerable. (Author abstract, modified)