How selective are elephants as agents of forest tree damage in B windi I mpenetrable N ational P ark, U ganda?

Elephants in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park exhibit selective behavior when damaging forest trees, favoring mid-successional species such as Newtonia buchananii and Myrianthus holstii. The study analyzed 897 trees along 26.84 km of elephant trails, finding that small trees were more likely to be toppled or have branches broken, while large trees were predominantly debarked. Elephant damage was also more frequent in open areas than closed ones, suggesting a feedback loop where elephants help maintain open habitats beneficial for species like mountain gorillas. These findings indicate potential vulnerability of certain tree species to increasing elephant populations and highlight the need for further research on the ecological impacts of changing elephant numbers.

Ssali, F., Sheil, D., & Nkurunungi, J. B. (2012). How selective are elephants as agents of forest tree damage in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda? African Journal of Ecology, 51(1), 55–65. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.12006