- Elephants are obviously a globally iconic species.

Everyone knows what an elephant is, right?

They're the largest land mammal left on our planet.

- [Narrator] Frank Pope is the CEO of Save the Elephants, which established the Elephant Crisis Fund with the Wildlife Conservation Network.

For over a decade, the Elephant Crisis Fund has helped stop elephant poaching and ivory trafficking.

Now, they also focus on reducing conflict between elephants and humans, and protecting elephant landscapes.

- We call them a keystone species because they're absolutely vital to the ecosystems.

They enable other species to live in a landscape, and for savanna elephants, that's things like digging water holes.

Other animals will come in and drink from that same water, even humans.

They transport seeds across vast distances.

They get their reputation as gardeners in that way.

They open up the forest and create the sort of highways through which other animals travel.

The challenge we face today is that the habitat has reduced so much that humans and elephants are struggling to access the same resources, water, food.

How do we create a future where humans and elephants can coexist peacefully?

- [Narrator] Elephant populations have declined due to illegal poaching for their tusks.

The Elephant Crisis Fund has helped diminish the ivory crisis and has a new focus, finding ways for elephants and people to coexist.

- Things like the beehive fence.

Elephants are scared of bees.

If you created a fence made of beehives, if an elephant brushes up against the wire, sets the beehive swinging, those guys come out swarming and cross, and the elephants, 82% of the time, run off.

- [Narrator] To learn how we can secure a future for elephants, visit norcalpublicmedia.org/wildlife