Elephants’ habitat use and behaviour when outside of Gonarezhou National Park

Elephant conservation in Africa occurs within and beyond gazetted protected areas. We collared and tracked 19 male and seven female savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) in Gonarezhou National Park (GNP), Zimbabwe, between 2016 and 2022. We investigated the extent of elephant activity outside the park and the role that season and diel played in this. We further documented habitat use, including the use of human-dominated landscapes. Our results showed that male elephants were more likely to move outside the GNP than females, dispersing at greater distances than females. Male elephants moved as far as 60 km from Gonarezhou, while females typically did not disperse farther than 15 km. Most movement outside protected area boundaries were during the cool-dry season (April–July). Male and female elephants returned to the GNP during the hot-wet season (December to March). When outside the GNP, male elephants preferred forested land cover types, while females remained in shrublands. Collared elephants avoided areas adjacent to GNP where human population densities were high. Surface water may also play a role in elephant movement outside of Gonarezhou, but we did not have reliable data to validate this. Our results indicate some use of areas neighbouring GNP by elephants, particularly in Mozambique, but not widespread dispersal.

Conservation implications: To achieve a stable elephant population growth rate in GNP, conservation planning in the region should consider immediate interventions for addressing barriers to the movement of elephants to Zinave and Banhine National Parks in Mozambique to avoid the risk of escalating fragmentation of the landscape. In addition, the communal area linking Gonarezhou to Kruger National Park should be prioritised for conservation efforts and pilot projects to test the functionality of the Sengwe corridor.