The wave of poaching devastating central Africa's forest elephant population may see some relief with a new agreement forged by the governments of Gabon and the Central African Republic (CAR) to improve management of CAR's wildlife resources.

The agreement comes after some two dozen elephants were brutally slaughtered at a CAR protected area in early May. The killings took place at Dzanga Bai, a well-known forest clearing in Dzanga-Sangha National Park, which is part of the Sangha Trinational World Heritage Site. These elephants have become the target of criminal gangs, who increasingly trade in blood ivory to fund violent campaigns of political destabilization across the Sahel.