In a move  to support conservation efforts, the  De Beers Group has undertaken to  transport 200 elephants across 1,500 km -- from its Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve (VLNR) in South Africa to Mozambique.

“The operation, one of the largest elephant translocations ever recorded in South Africa, is part of a major conservation initiative to protect the welfare of wildlife in South Africa and help restore Mozambique’s elephant population,” the Company explained.

The move will take place in a phased manner. In the first round, approximately 60 elephants will be transported in July and August from the VLNR to Zinave National Park in central Mozambique. The rest of the elephants will be moved to conservation areas that “hold sufficient elephant carrying capacity” within Mozambique,  from next year.

For this project, De Beers Group is partnering with Peace Parks Foundation, a leading not-for-profit organisation “focused on the preservation of large functional cross-border ecosystems”.  The Foundation has formal agreements in place with Mozambique’s National Administration for Conservation Areas, and, under these,  co-manages Zinave National Park, which is an integral component of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area.

An important aspect of Peace Parks Foundation’s role in the  translocation will be to  ensure that the elephants’ social groups aren’t disturbed; and that they flourish in their new habitat through ongoing monitoring of their wellbeing and enhanced protection efforts.

Bruce Cleaver, CEO, De Beers Group, said: “There is no greater symbol of Africa than the majestic elephant. For us to be able to help secure their future in Mozambique, while also ensuring other species at our Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve can flourish, is something every employee of De Beers Group is proud of. This translocation is born of a deep sense of responsibility and is part of our wider commitment to continue to invest in new and innovative ways to protect the natural world.”

The  VLNR, established in the early 1990s,  covers around  32,000 hectares and can accommodate around 60 elephants “without adverse impacts on the surrounding ecosystem”.   However, currently there are more than 270 elephants on the reserve, as a result of natural population growth, “with their presence risking extensive damage to an ecosystem that must sustain a diverse wildlife population”, De Beers noted.

“By contrast, wildlife populations in Zinave National Park, which was founded in the 1960s, have been critically depleted following Mozambique’s 15-year civil war,” De Beers said. “The park offers significant carrying capacity for large numbers of elephants across its 408,000 hectares, and is currently home to only around 60 of them.”

Werner Myburgh, CEO, Peace Parks Foundation, said: “Ecosystems require a range of fauna and flora to stay balanced. If you remove one species, such as elephant, it has a ripple effect on the whole system. The reintroduction of elephants to Mozambique will bring us one step closer to achieving our dream of restoring the landscape and establishing uninterrupted connectivity with seamless migration of wildlife across the parks within the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area.”

De Beers Group is also contributing US$ 500,000 over five years -- as part of its investment in the elephant translocation initiative --  towards Peace Parks Foundation’s  anti-poaching measures, which will include the hiring and training of new park rangers, and the opening of new access roads to increase patrol coverage.