Conservation Status of Giraffe: Evaluating Contemporary Distribution and Abundance with Evolving Taxonomic Perspectives

Brown, Michael B.; Kulkarni, Tushar Pramod; Ferguson, Sara; Fennessy, Stephanie; Muneza, Arthur B.; Stabach, Jared A.; Fennessy, Julian

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-821139-7.00139-2

Cited by 15 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Since the 1980s, giraffe ( Giraffa spp.) numbers in the wild have declined by ~30% [ 1 ]. Although giraffe are considered a single species and are listed as “Vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) [ 2 ], the latest genetic assessments show that giraffe more likely consist of either three [ 3 , 4 ] or four species [ 5 , 6 , 7 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although giraffe are considered a single species and are listed as “Vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) [ 2 ], the latest genetic assessments show that giraffe more likely consist of either three [ 3 , 4 ] or four species [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Among those, and occurring across northern sub-Saharan Africa, is the northern giraffe ( Giraffa camelopardalis sensu Fennessy et al [ 5 ]), the least populous giraffe species with <5920 individuals remaining in the wild [ 1 ]. The four species taxonomy originally proposed by Fennessy et al [ 5 ] and adopted herein includes three genetically recognized extant subspecies of the northern giraffe: the West African ( Giraffa camelopardalis peralta ), the Kordofan ( Giraffa camelopardalis antiquorum ), and the Nubian giraffe ( Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis senior synonym of Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, illegal hunting, habitat loss, and fragmentation extirpated all populations outside Niger, and by 1996 only 49 individuals remained in the “Giraffe Zone”, an area southeast of Niger’s capital Niamey [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]. Since then, concerted conservation efforts by the Government of Niger and conservation partners have helped West African giraffe numbers to increase to >600 individuals [ 1 , 10 , 11 ]. As a result of this successful population recovery, the West African giraffe was downlisted from “Endangered” to “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List in 2018 [ 11 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Kordofan giraffe was formerly widespread across savanna woodlands and the Sahel in Central Africa [ 13 ], with its numbers estimated at >13,500 during the 1980s [ 14 ]. Today, small populations totaling <2300 individuals are scattered in isolated patches across Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and South Sudan, mostly inside protected areas [ 1 ]. This drastic decline of >80% over the last 35 years has been driven by illegal hunting, habitat loss, and civil unrest, resulting in the IUCN Red Listing of the Kordofan giraffe as “Critically Endangered” [ 14 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This drastic decline of >80% over the last 35 years has been driven by illegal hunting, habitat loss, and civil unrest, resulting in the IUCN Red Listing of the Kordofan giraffe as “Critically Endangered” [ 14 ]. In the last decade, concerted conservation programs for Kordofan giraffe by GCF, the African Parks Network (APN), various governments, and other conservation partners in key areas such as DRC’s Garamba National Park (NP) and Chad’s Zakouma NP, has fortunately facilitated populations to slowly rebound [ 1 , 14 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Conservation Genomics of Two Threatened Subspecies of Northern Giraffe: The West African and the Kordofan Giraffe

Coimbra

Winter

MITCHELL

et al. 2022

Genes

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Three of the four species of giraffe are threatened, particularly the northern giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis), which collectively have the smallest known wild population estimates. Among the three subspecies of the northern giraffe, the West African giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis peralta) had declined to 49 individuals by 1996 and only recovered due to conservation efforts undertaken in the past 25 years, while the Kordofan giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis antiquorum) remains at <2300 individuals distributed in small, isolated populations over a large geographical range in Central Africa. These combined factors could lead to genetically depauperated populations. We analyzed 119 mitochondrial sequences and 26 whole genomes of northern giraffe individuals to investigate their population structure and assess the recent demographic history and current genomic diversity of West African and Kordofan giraffe. Phylogenetic and population structure analyses separate the three subspecies of northern giraffe and suggest genetic differentiation between populations from eastern and western areas of the Kordofan giraffe’s range. Both West African and Kordofan giraffe show a gradual decline in effective population size over the last 10 ka and have moderate genome-wide heterozygosity compared to other giraffe species. Recent inbreeding levels are higher in the West African giraffe and in Kordofan giraffe from Garamba National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo. Although numbers for both West African and some populations of Kordofan giraffe have increased in recent years, the threat of habitat loss, climate change impacts, and illegal hunting persists. Thus, future conservation actions should consider close genetic monitoring of populations to detect and, where practical, counteract negative trends that might develop.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Conservation Genomics of Two Threatened Subspecies of Northern Giraffe: The West African and the Kordofan Giraffe

Coimbra

Winter

MITCHELL

et al. 2022

Genes

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Human footprint and rainfall shape Masai giraffe's habitat suitability and connectivity in a multiple‐use landscape

Muthiuru,

Crego,

Simbauni

et al. 2024

Ecosphere

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Giraffe populations have declined by around 40% in the last three decades. Climate change, poaching, habitat loss, and increasing human pressures are confining giraffes to smaller and more isolated patches of habitats. Masai giraffes (Giraffa tippelskirchi) have been subjected to habitat loss and fragmentation, diseases, poaching, and unpredictable calamities such as wildfires and climate change. In this study, we aimed to identify (1) suitable Masai giraffe habitats within the transboundary landscape of Tsavo‐Mkomazi in Southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania; and (2) key connecting corridors in a multiple‐use landscape for conservation prioritization. We combined Masai giraffe presence data collected through a total aerial survey with moderate resolution satellite data to model habitat suitability at 250 m resolution using species distribution models (SDMs) implemented in Google Earth Engine (GEE). Model accuracy was assessed using area under precision recall curve (AUC‐PR). We then used the habitat suitability index as a resistance surface to model functional connectivity using Circuitscape theory and cost‐weighted distance pairwise methods. Human habitat modification, rainfall, and elevation were the main model predictors of Masai giraffe habitat and corridors. On average, our 10‐fold model fitting attained a good predictive performance with an average AUC‐PR = 0.80 (SD = 0.01, range = 0.79–0.83). The model predicted an area of 15,002 km2 as potential suitable Masai giraffe habitat with over 17% outside protected areas within the landscape. Although Tsavo West National Park formed a key habitat and a key connecting corridor, nonprotected community ranches connecting Tsavo West and Tsavo East National Parks are equally important in maintaining landscape connectivity joining more than two Masai giraffe core areas with low resistance and high permeability. To maintain critical Masai giraffe's habitats and landscape functional connectivity, especially in multiple‐use landscapes, conservation‐compatible land use practices, capacity building, and land use planning should be considered at the outset of any new infrastructure development and land use changes. This modeling shows the potential of utilizing remotely sensed information and ground surveys to guide the management of habitats and their connecting corridors across important African landscapes, complementing existing efforts to identify, conserve, and protect wildlife habitats and their linkage zones.

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Updated review of the conservation status of Nubian giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis) in Kenya

Muneza,

Kavutha,

Muruana

et al. 2024

Biodivers Conserv

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Conservation Status of Giraffe: Evaluating Contemporary Distribution and Abundance with Evolving Taxonomic Perspectives

Cited by 15 publications

References 35 publications

Conservation Genomics of Two Threatened Subspecies of Northern Giraffe: The West African and the Kordofan Giraffe

Conservation Genomics of Two Threatened Subspecies of Northern Giraffe: The West African and the Kordofan Giraffe

Human footprint and rainfall shape Masai giraffe's habitat suitability and connectivity in a multiple‐use landscape

Updated review of the conservation status of Nubian giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis) in Kenya

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