De Beers Group has started transporting 200 elephants from its Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve (VLNR) in South Africa, 1 500km 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.

In the first phase of the project, approximately 60 elephants will be transported in July and August from the VLNR to Zinave National Park in central Mozambique. The remaining elephants will be moved to conservation areas that hold sufficient elephant-carrying capacity within Mozambique from next year.

De Beers Group is partnering with Peace Parks Foundation (PPF), a leading not-for-profit organisation that focuses on the preservation of large functional cross-border ecosystems, to carry out the initiative. Through formal agreements with Mozambique’s National Administration for Conservation Areas, PPF co-manages Zinave National Park, which is an integral component of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area.

PPF will assist De Beers Group with the translocation, ensuring 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 of 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 that 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.”

VLNR covers 32 000 hectares and was established in the early 1990s. It can accommodate around 60 elephants without adverse effects on the surrounding ecosystem. Currently, however, 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.

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. The park offers significant carrying capacity for large numbers of elephants across its 408 000 hectares and is currently home to around only 60 of them.

Werner Myburgh, CEO of PPF, 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.” Introducing more elephants to Mozambique brings the dream closer of restoring the landscape and establishing uninterrupted connectivity with seamless migration of wildlife across the parks within the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area, he said.

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