Scientists Say Elephants Protect the Planet from Global Warming

The scientists at the French National Center for Scientific Research have found that preserving the populations of disappearing forest elephants is crucial for protecting the environment's carbon sequestration capacity, according to PNAS.

Central and West Africa's tropical forests are the second largest on Earth. In the event of elephant extinction, atmospheric carbon levels could decrease by 6-9%, accelerating global warming.

According to the authors of the study, elephants eat leaves and branches from trees that produce less carbon. Typically, these trees grow much faster than those that produce high levels of carbon. By consuming them, elephants provide more space and sunlight to trees that have a higher capacity to produce CO2.

Experts note that there are currently fewer than 500,000 African elephants living in the wild, compared to 3-5 million in the last century. The main cause of this decline is poaching for ivory. Scientists urge special attention to be paid to elephant conservation to combat global warming.