The Problem
The problem we want to fix is the ivory poaching crisis and habitat loss and fragmentation of elephants. Poachers illegally hunt and kill elephants for their tusks that are made of ivory, and then the tusks are smuggled across countries for money. As human cities, farms, roads and factories expand, people chop down the forests and savannas where elephants live. Elephants then lose their migration paths and territory. Because their food supply is gone, they sometimes wander into human villages or farms in search of it, which can lead to dangerous encounters between humans and elephants.
Our Plan
I will hold an educational booth that has a model that explains the problems elephants are facing. I will also make a video that highlights this same point, and I will educate people about these problems. In the educational booth, I will point out that the rainforests where Asian elephants live are being cut down to build palm oil plantations, and I will challenge people to only buy sustainable palm oil to protect elephant habitats. I will also teach people about how the elephants are important to ecosystems, and how poaching them can rattle a whole habitat. I will tell people never to buy real or antique ivory since it hurts elephants. I will host an activity where people can look at printed out pictures to see the difference between real and fake ivory. I will also have mini fact cards with more information about elephants.
