The 16th Steering Committee meeting of Project Elephant saw the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change unveil a pioneering field manual named- “Field Manual for Managing Human-Elephant Conflicts (HEC) in India.” Crafted by the ministry, in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF India), the manual offers practical guidelines to forest personnel dealing with HEC in major elephant range states.
Manual Objectives and Importance
The manual comprises detailed best practices to decrease human-elephant conflict. It seeks to equip forest officials, departments, and other stakeholders with strategies that can mitigate Human Elephant Conflict under both emergency situations and recurring conflict scenarios.
Elephants: Numbers, Subspecies, and Habits
India is home to approximately 27,000 Asian Elephants, making it the world’s largest population of this species. Elephant Census data from 2017 indicates that Karnataka hosts the highest number of elephants (6,049), followed by Assam (5,719) and Kerala (3,054).
Asian elephants are divided into three subspecies: Indian, Sumatran, and Sri Lankan, with the Indian subspecies having the widest range and accounting for most of the continent’s remaining elephants. Elephant herds are led by the oldest and largest female member (known as the matriarch) and generally include the matriarch’s daughters and their offspring. Female elephants have one of the longest gestation periods among mammals, lasting up to 680 days or roughly 22 months. Females between 14 – 45 years typically birth calves every four years, with interbirth intervals increasing as they age.
A Closer Look at Global Elephant Populations
Globally, the Asian Elephant population is estimated to be around 20,000 to 40,000 individuals.
There are two subspecies of African elephants: the Savanna (or bush) elephant and the Forest elephant. The global African elephant population stands at approximately 400,000 individuals.
Despite their significant numbers, both Asian and African elephants face several threats such as poaching, habitat loss, human-elephant conflict, mistreatment in captivity, abuse due to elephant tourism, rampant mining, and corridor destruction.
Conservation Measures for Elephants
Several plans and programs have been implemented to prevent elephant poaching and ensure their protection. These include declaring and setting up various elephant reserves across states, like the Mysuru and Dandeli elephant reserves in Karnataka.
Efforts have also been made to remove invasive species like lantana and eupatorium, which hinder grass growth on which elephants feed. Barricades have been installed in some areas to prevent man-elephant conflicts. Moreover, a cell dedicated to studying forest fire prevention has been set up.
Significant crusades like the Gaj Yatra raise nationwide awareness about the importance of securing elephant corridors. Furthermore, the Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) programme launched in 2003, an international collaboration project, collects data related to the illegal killing of elephants.
Project Elephant and Legal Aspects
Project Elephant, a centrally sponsored scheme launched in February 1992, aims to protect elephants, their habitats, and corridors. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change provides financial and technical support to major elephant range states through this project.
Mahouts (people who work with, ride, and tend to elephants) and their families are considerably impactful in ensuring the welfare of elephants. In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court upheld the 2011 Madras High Court order on the Nilgiris elephant corridor, reinforcing the animals’ right of passage and ordering the closure of resorts that were obstructing their movement.