An elephant in Kruger Park, South Africa. The  National Park is considering a plan to kill thousands of elephants that are destroying forest land, unleashing a domino effect on ecosystems and putting other species in jeopardy.
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KAI RYSSDAL: Today Indonesia announced new protections for two of the world's endangered species. The government's going to double the size of a national park that's home to the Sumatran tiger and elephant. But they might want to be just a little bit careful about how they set up their wildlife management plan, in case they're too successful.

The African elephant is a protected species. In the wild, populations are dwindling. But inside South Africa's nature reserves, herds are growing. So the government has come up with a new plan with an eye toward the bottom line.

From the Marketplace Sustainability Desk, Gretchen Wilson reports.




FERREIRA: This is a big guy. And as you can see there's lots of trees broken around us.



To manage their impact, the South African government's response includes elephant birth control and resettlement. But it also allows for culling -- shooting and killing entire herds.

Private wildlife ranchers and some conservation groups endorse South Africa's new policy. They point out that elephants leave a huge ecological footprint. And that threatens the natural habitats of other species, like birds and sable antelope.

GARY VAN DEN BERG: So now we have a situation where you've got too many animals in a defined space.

Gary van den Berg is head of Wildlife Ranching South Africa. He's also an advocate of "sustainable use," an approach to conservation that sees wildlife not just as animals but as participants in an economic survival of the fittest.

Elephants need resources: water, food, and lots of land to roam. But they're also money makers. They draw tourists and hunters to nature reserves.

VAN DEN BERG: Suddenly you're bringing income, you're bringing people to these remote areas.

Supporters of sustainable use say it's OK to kill a few animals, if it means generating income for wildlife conservation. Their mantra is, "If it pays, it stays." They say otherwise there's too much pressure on parkland to convert it for other use like farming or housing.

Some animal rights activists say this economic bottom line now drives South Africa's entire wildlife management policy. Louise Joubert is founder of the SanWild Wildlife Trust.



And critics say that's the true aim of South Africa's policy -- to generate revenue streams, rather than protect biodiversity.

Michele Pickover of Animal Rights Africa disagrees with claims that there are too many elephants in South Africa's nature reserves.



Ecologist Sam Ferreira's priority is to manage these elephants' impact on the landscape, not just kill them to bring down numbers. He says the continent is watching how South Africa manages its elephant population.



In Kruger National Park, South Africa, I'm Gretchen Wilson for Marketplace.