Elephant Movements and Connectivity in the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Area (KAZA TFCA)

The document analyzes GPS collar data from 291 elephants to identify movement patterns and corridors across the KAZA TFCA. It finds that while 44% of collared elephants engage in transboundary movements, border fences act as almost complete barriers to females. The report identifies three types of micro-corridors—water-related, fence-channeled, and human-modified pinchpoints—and highlights significant threats including physical barriers, land use change, human-elephant conflict, and poaching. It recommends a combination of fence reviews, community-led corridor designation, and holistic human-elephant conflict management to maintain the connectivity of the world's largest elephant population.

• The KAZA TFCA supports a combined elephant population of at least 220,000 across five countries, representing approximately half of Africa's remaining savanna elephants.
• Analysis of 291 collared elephants shows that 44% (127 individuals) crossed international borders, with movements most frequent in unfenced areas or across rivers. Border fences are almost entirely impermeable to female elephants, though some males cross them.
• Three distinct types of micro-corridors were identified: directed movements to and from water sources, movements channeled along fences (notably the Namibia-Botswana border fence), and pinchpoints where elephants navigate human-modified landscapes such as roads and agricultural fields.
• Modelled data suggests high-potential macro-corridors for long-range dispersal, including routes from Chobe to the Victoria Falls area and from Sioma Ngwezi to Kafue National Park. Conversely, connectivity between the Okavango Delta and other KAZA areas is limited, primarily due to fencing.
• The most significant threats to connectivity are physical anthropogenic barriers (fences, roads, and railways), land use changes (mining, tourism, logging, and irrigation), human-elephant conflict (HEC), and poaching.
• Specific physical barriers identified as substantially constraining movement include the northern buffalo fence in Botswana, the BotswanaNamibia Zambezi border fence, the Botswana-Namibia western border fence, and highway B8 in Namibia.
• To mitigate human-elephant conflict and maintain connectivity, the report recommends land use planning that incorporates both micro and macro corridors, the use of deterrent toolboxes (e.g., solar electric fencing, bee hive fences), and economic diversification for communities living with elephants.

APA

WWF International (2023). Elephant Movements and Connectivity in the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Area (KAZA TFCA). https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/599/ghs3s1qtj_Policy_KAZA_Policy_Brief_on_Elephant_Movements_English_low_res_WEB.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. Elephant Movements and Connectivity in the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Area (KAZA TFCA). 2023. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/599/ghs3s1qtj_Policy_KAZA_Policy_Brief_on_Elephant_Movements_English_low_res_WEB.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=Elephant Movements and Connectivity in the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Area (KAZA TFCA) |date=January 2023 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/599/ghs3s1qtj_Policy_KAZA_Policy_Brief_on_Elephant_Movements_English_low_res_WEB.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternational2023elephant, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{Elephant Movements and Connectivity in the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Area (KAZA TFCA)}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2023}, month = jan, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/599/ghs3s1qtj_Policy_KAZA_Policy_Brief_on_Elephant_Movements_English_low_res_WEB.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }