Dong Nai (VNA) – Wild elephants, long regarded as a symbol of strength in nature and closely tied to the culture and belief of many communities in Vietnam, are now facing the real risk of extinction.
The alarming population decline has prompted urgent calls for stronger conservation efforts, with the joint involvement of authorities, local communities, and international experts.
At the 12th meeting of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Asian Elephant Specialist Group (AsESG), experts warned that elephants are critically threatened and require global cooperation for survival.
Particularly, southern Dong Nai province, which manages over 370,000 hectares of forest with a forest cover rate of 25%, is home to Vietnam’s second-largest wild elephant population, numbering only 25–27 individuals.
Since 1997, the province has been a pioneer in halting natural forest exploitation, creating a vast conservation area later recognised by UNESCO as the Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve.
The reserve shelters numerous endangered species listed in both Vietnam’s Red Data Book and the IUCN Red List.
According to provincial officials, surveys conducted from the 1990s to 2008 recorded severe human–elephant conflict in Dong Nai, causing casualties on both sides.
Today, fewer than 200 wild elephants remain across Vietnam, scattered in several provinces.
Doan Hoai Nam, Deputy Director of the Forestry and Ranger Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, said that this figure is a stark warning.
Vietnam is implementing its National Elephant Conservation Action Plan to 2035, with a vision to 2050, aiming to protect elephants and promote coexistence between people and wildlife.
Although various measures have been implemented such as reducing human-elephant conflicts and supporting community livelihoods, conservation efforts face serious challenges due to the shrinking natural forest area, fragmented habitats, small elephant population.
These factors heighten the risk of losing wild elephant population.The presence of nearly 200 wild elephants in Vietnam serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of this animal.
In response to this alarming situation, Asian elephant experts have issued a series of urgent recommendations to protect and restore Vietnam’s elephant population.
These include safeguarding natural habitats, reducing human-elephant conflict, expanding migration corridors, enhancing international cooperation, and encouraging the entire community's involvement in research and conservation efforts.
Dr Pruthu Fernando, a member of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group, said Dong Nai has become a model through its elephant conservation project, which laid the groundwork for the National Elephant Conservation Action Plan launched in 2022.
The plan is already being implemented in five provinces and is expected to expand nationwide by 2026.Information is the most important factor in elephant conservation, Fernando explained.Only with accurate data on the number of male and female elephants, and baby individuals, and herd structure can scientists properly assess the population’s potential and design effective strategies for recovery, he said.
According to Vivek Menon, Chair of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group, elephant conservation requires prioritising habitat protection, promoting harmonious coexistence between humans and elephants to reduce agricultural conflicts, and urgently stopping the poaching of wild elephants.
He warned that elephants, like tigers and lions, once inhabited Vietnam, could disappear if decisive action is not taken, urging management agencies and stakeholders to join hands to act so that elephants continue to be present in Vietnam's natural life.
Addressing human-elephant conflict in Vietnam is complex, Menon said, explaining that elephants are large, social animals, and humans entering their space without understanding can provoke attacks.
Separating mothers from calves can increase aggression, so it’s crucial to allow elephants to live naturally in herds and maintain their wild behaviours to minimise conflict, he added./.
