Tanzania’s first official wildlife corridor links savanna elephants to rainforest
African savanna elephants in southern Tanzania have an unusual habit: They climb mountains. Up to 1,000 of the pachyderms spend part of their time in the Udzungwa Mountains, clambering up and down steep slopes that are clad in lush, closed-canopy rainforest. “They go everywhere,” said Trevor Jones, director of strategy and development at the Southern […]
In southern Tanzania, African savanna elephants have an unusual habit of climbing mountains, according to Trevor Jones, director of strategy and development at the Southern Tanzania Elephant Program (STEP). Up to 1,000 of these pachyderms spend part of their time in the Udzungwa Mountains, navigating steep slopes covered in dense rainforest.
Despite their ability to traverse challenging gradients, some elephants also migrate from the mountains to typical savanna elephant habitat in Nyerere National Park, located to the east across the Kilombero Valley. Satellite imagery reveals a corridor connecting Magombera Forest Reserve in the east with Udzungwa Mountains in the west, where once-maturing forest trees planted since 2023 are now evident.
Conservationists like Jones study the elephants' adaptive behavior, understanding that the population utilizes a diverse array of habitats, including montane forest, lowland forest, miombo woodland, and open bush within Nyerere National Park.
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