The Asian Elephant Conservation Fund is soliciting project proposals for the conservation of the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) throughout its range.

In 1997, with recent awareness of the increasing threat to the welfare of the already endangered Asian elephant the Asian Elephant Conservation

credit: The Guardian

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Act was signed into law.

The Act provides for the conservation of Asian elephants by supporting conservation programs in countries within the range of Asian elephants, and the projects of persons with demonstrated expertise in the conservation of Asian elephants.

The Asian Elephant Conservation Fund supports projects that promote conservation through:
• Applied research on elephant populations and their habitat, including surveys and monitoring; • Activities that result in fewer wild elephants being removed from the wild, that reduce demand in consumer countries for ivory and other body parts, and projects to prevent illegal killing of elephants; • Development and execution of elephant conservation management plans; • Compliance with applicable treaties and laws that prohibit or regulate the taking or trade of elephants or regulate the use and management of elephant habitat; • Conservation education and community outreach; • Enhanced protection of at-risk elephant populations; • Efforts to decrease human-elephant conflict; • Habitat conservation and management; • Protected area/reserve management in important elephant range; • Strengthening local capacity to implement conservation programs; • Transfrontier elephant conservation; and • Wildlife inspection, law enforcement, and forensics skills.

Support will also be given to projects that enhance the knowledge of decision makers and other stakeholders including, legislators, teachers, school children, journalists, tourists, non-governmental organizations, and private sector organizations or businesses, in order to strengthen their ability to positively influence wildlife conservation, management, legislation, policy, and finance; and to harmonize these with other national policies.

Proposed project should occur within the range of the Asian elephant, or, if work is to be conducted outside of the range, the proposal should show a clear relevance to Asian elephant conservation.

Applied research projects should address specific management needs and actions, and threats from emerging issues such as disease and climate change that affect the species and their habitats.