Mozambique's Elephant Population Doubles in Seven Years
Mozambique's elephant population has nearly doubled over the past seven years, rising from 9,114 animals in 2018 to approximately 21,700, according to a 2025 national wildlife census. The figures were revealed by Minister of Agriculture Roberto Albino at a ceremony marking the 15th anniversary of the National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC) in Maputo. The recovery reverses a sharp decline that saw the population fall from over 20,000 animals in 2008 to just over 9,000 a decade later, driven largely by poaching.
The turnaround has been attributed to strengthened anti-poaching measures, community involvement in conservation, wildlife reintroduction programmes and benefit-sharing arrangements linked to conservation areas. Buffalo, zebras and hippos have also shown signs of population growth or stability, while a significant reduction in elephant carcasses points to decreased poaching activity. For the first time, southern Mozambique now holds a higher concentration of elephants than the central and northern regions, influenced by transboundary conservation areas. Despite the progress, the government cautioned that growing human pressure - including settlement expansion, illegal logging and mining - continues to degrade natural habitats and announced plans for a controlled wildlife extraction programme in the southern Maputo National Park to manage ecological balance.
Source: Club of Mozambique
