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Mali Elephant Landscapes

Community-centered conservation that benefits both West African desert elephants and people

True collaboration & the recognition of local leadership make sustainable solutions possible

Eco-Solution
Leadership

Ecosystem
Species

IUCN Motion 096: On the Road to Half

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Safeguarding Mali’s Last Desert Elephants

Local communities in the arid landscapes of Mali understand that they are embedded in the web of life—alongside elephants and all species—and dependent on its integrity. Elephants play a critical role in maintaining this fragile desert ecosystem, shaping vegetation, dispersing seeds, and opening pathways to water that benefit countless other species. The disappearance of Mali’s last remaining herd of desert elephants would unravel these systems, accelerating land degradation and intensifying pressures on already scarce natural resources.

True sustainability is achieved when communities are empowered to work together to regenerate their environment in ways that strengthen livelihoods while reducing human–elephant conflict and making space for elephants to move safely across the landscape. Transparent and equitable local governance is essential, enabling coexistence on the ground and supporting government efforts to protect this last desert elephant population from poaching and further decline.

Human Population: ~1,400,000

Elephant Population: Between 300-400

Major Threats: Climate change, wildlife trafficking, habitat conversion for agriculture

Protected area: This project established the 3.4-million-hectare Gourma Biosphere Reserve, one of the largest terrestrial protected areas

8 Million Acres

The Gourma region spans a landscape as large as Switzerland—home to both people and elephants whose lives depend on its rivers, grasslands, and forests.

A Shared Home

Nearly 1.4 million people live alongside 300–400 elephants, relying on the same wild resources for foraging, water, and survival. Protecting this balance sustains both communities and biodiversity.

Safeguarding the Future

Through the creation of the Gourma Biosphere Reserve (3.4 million hectares of protected land!), local partners are reducing wildfires, protecting water sources, and defending wildlife from the growing threats of climate change, trafficking, and habitat loss.

The people of Mali are saving elephants against the odds. Will you help them?

True to WILD’s signature style of conservation, we foster local autonomy and problem-solving among our Malian partners who facilitate the work; we do not provide aid or impose outside ideas.

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How We Heal & Protect Nature

For more than 50 years, WILD has worked to defend and expand respectful relationships with wilderness. At WILD, we work alongside people and communities to support enduring stewardship of Earth’s biodiversity. Through our programs, we help shape and strengthen international conservation policy and global standards while supporting on-the-ground initiatives, with a focus on Indigenous leadership, youth, and grassroots conservation.

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CoalitionWILD

Supporting +1,500 youth leaders in +120 countries

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