Answer:
Nt ≈ 38,183
Explanation:
Assuming that the per capita growth rate (r max ) of -0.05 remains constant, we can use the exponential growth equation to estimate the number of elephants in South Africa next year:
Nt = N0 * e^(r * t)
where:
Nt = the population size at time t
N0 = the initial population size
r = per capita growth rate
t = time
We can rearrange this equation to solve for Nt:
Nt = N0 * e^(r * t)
Nt = 40,000 * e^(-0.05 * 1)
Nt ≈ 38,183
Therefore, we can estimate that there will be approximately 38,183 elephants in South Africa next year.