Southern elephant seals make remarkable recovery in south africa as conservation status upgraded from near threatened to least concern

Southern elephant seals breeding on South Africa’s remote sub-Antarctic islands have achieved a significant conservation milestone, with their status officially upgraded from “near threatened” to “least concern” following four decades of population recovery.

The impressive turnaround for Mirounga leonina populations on Prince Edward Island and Marion Island reflects the absence of serious threats to their breeding colonies over the past 40 years, according to the newly published 2025 Mammal Red List for Southern Africa. These two South African territories serve as critical breeding grounds for the massive marine mammals, with seals moving between islands to interbreed and maintain healthy genetic diversity.

This positive development emerged from a comprehensive conservation assessment led by the Endangered Wildlife Trust and South African National Biodiversity Institute. The ambitious project brought together 163 researchers from 40 institutions to evaluate 336 mammal species across South Africa, Lesotho, and Eswatini using IUCN standards.

However, the broader picture for regional wildlife remains concerning. The assessment revealed that 20% of evaluated species face extinction threats, while another 11% are classified as near threatened. The situation is particularly dire for endemic species found nowhere else on Earth—29 of the region’s 67 unique species are threatened with extinction. While southern elephant seals represent a conservation success story, their recovery highlights both the potential for wildlife restoration and the urgent need for continued protection efforts across Southern Africa’s diverse ecosystems.