The Elephant Protection Initiative

Who we are

In 2014, leaders from Botswana, Chad, Ethiopia, Gabon, and Tanzania launched the Elephant Protection Initiative (EPI), an African-led, partnership-based conservation initiative. Since then, we have grown, and now have 20 member countries. A majority of Africa’s surviving elephants – both forest and savannah species - are in EPI countries.

We have common policies to save Africa’s elephants and build a sustainable future for people. These are based on the African Elephant Action Plan (AEAP), which was agreed by all African elephant range states in 2010. We want to close down the ivory trade and ivory markets. We also want to build on this agreement, by encouraging our members, and other African countries, to develop National Elephant Action Plans (NEAPs). These include budget, monitoring and evaluation plans for countries to protect elephants and benefit people who live alongside them.

The EPI Foundation serves as the formal secretariat to the EPI and its member countries. Through the EPI Foundation, elephants are proving to be a catalyst for creating durable African economies that include health care, education, and infrastructure development. For many of the African countries where elephants are protected, these iconic animals generate stable and sustainable benefits through eco-tourism and more; leading to improved livelihoods for many thousands of local community members.

The EPI Foundation is effectively bringing a new approach to wildlife conservation. We are engaging African and world leaders by developing nature-based economies that depend on a healthy environment throughout the continent.

Stand with us and help create a world where Africa’s elephants are safe and the communities that live with them thrive.