In Asia, habitat loss and fragmentation is apparently one of the major factor that directly affect elephants.
What causes this? (Sukumar, 2006)
- Increasing human population growth
- Competition for space and resources
- Economic growth
- Especially in Indonesia and Malaysia, where agriculture is causing the destruction of rain forests!
Consequences
Because of this, not only will habitat be loss, but the population of elephants will be more fragmented as size of habitat shrinks and becomes more isolated.
Inbreeding may also occur as a low population may limit the potential mating partner one has. What happens next is a consequential effect of lowered genetic diversity and the likelihood of obtaining genetic disorder due to higher likelihood of relatedness among elephants (Ohio Wesleyan University [OWU], n.d.)