Poaching for ivory reached a critical level during the 1970s and 1980s. The number of elephants in Africa plummeted from 1.3 million in 1979, to about 600,000 in 1989, when the international trade in ivory was banned. The level of poaching fell dramatically between 1989 and 1997 as a result of this ban. Elephants have dry season feeding areas, near permanent sources of water, to which they migrate when water is short. As more land is being used for agriculture and urban development, elephants are becoming confined to smaller and smaller patches of habitat.
Habitat fragmentation disrupts migratory routes.
Deforestation has destroyed much elephant habitat in Asia. Elephants are often persecuted if they damage crops or property. They argue that the revenue generated can be used for conservation. But many people think that the hunting of elephants is cruel and consider that tourism is kinder and more profitable. Many elephant range states have National Parks or other protected areas designed to protect elephant habitat.