Correa, Roberto J.Lindsey, Peter AndrewCritchlow, RobBeale, Colin M.Geldmann, JonasPlumptre, Andrew J.2024-12-102024-12-102024-07Correa, R. J., Lindsey, P.A., Critchlow, R., Beale, C. M., Geldmann, J., & Plumptre, A. J. (2024). Performance of protected areas in conserving African elephants. Conservation Letters, 17, e13041. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.13041.1755-263X (online)10.1111/conl.13041http://hdl.handle.net/2263/99833DATA AVAILABITY STATEMENT: The African Elephant Database (https:// africanelephantdatabase.org/) contains the latest elephant population data for each protected area. Data on spend at sites are sensitive and the authors relied on personal contacts to obtain this information for many of the protected areas. We can provide these data on request but cannot make them widely available.Protected areas have been gazetted to protect natural resources and biodiversity, but evaluations of effectiveness rarely include measures of species population change. We compiled annual site-level spending and elephant population data for 102 protected areas conserving either savannah (Loxodonta africana) or forest (Loxodonta cyclotis) elephants, which showed a median annual population decline of −0.78% across the protected areas. Site-level population change was strongly associated with funding and government effectiveness. Annual funding deficits occurred in 78% of the protected areas, and when comparing necessary levels of annual spend to stabilize elephant populations, we estimate a US$1.5 billion annual funding deficit across all the protected areas. While financial investment can improve elephant conservation outcomes, there is still a need to identify where and how to best finance elephant poaching interventions, requiring a global commitment to improve the socioeconomic impacts of protected areas on local communities and reduce ivory demand.en© 2024 The Authors. Open Access. Conservation Letters published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.FinancingGovernanceManagement costsPopulation trendsProtected areasSDG-15: Life on landSDG-17: Partnerships for the goalsAfrican elephant (Loxodonta africana)Article