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Asian Elephant Conservation

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October 04, 2024

Why in News?

Interim Elephant Census report has highlighted declining elephant population across India.

Asian Elephants

  • Asian Elephant is the natural heritage animal of India and the largest mammal living on the land of Asia.
  • Scientific name - Elephas maximus
  • Gestation period - 22 months
  • Weight - 3,000-6,000 kg
  • Height
    • Males - up to 9 feet
    • Females - up to 7.9 feet
  • Lifespan - 48 years (average in the wild)
  • Tusks - Larger in males, smaller or absent in females
  • Intelligence - Highly intelligent, known for empathy, mourning, and communication
  • Social Structure - Matriarchal herds, males generally solitary
  • IUCN Red List – Endangered
  • Wildlife Protection Act 1972 - Schedule I
  • CITES - Appendix I
  • Population -There are about 50,000-60,000 Asian elephants in the world.
  • Indian Population More than 60% of the world’s elephant population is in India.
  • Distribution - The current distribution of wild elephant in India is now restricted to four general areas
    • North-eastern India,
    • Central India,
    • North-western India,
    • Southern India.
  • Karnataka has the highest number of elephants (6,049)
  • Assam (5,719) and Kerala (3,054).
  • Elephant reserves- There are 33 elephant reserves in India, latest being Terai Elephant Reserve in Uttar Pradesh.

How Elephant census is conducted?

  • Elephant Census – It is a synchronized census conducted region wise.
  • It is conducted every 5 years by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), an autonomous body under the ministry.
  • Census Methods
    • Direct (head) count - Forest divisions is divided into sample blocks ranging from 4 to 6 sq km.
    • Indirect (dung) count
    • waterhole count method – Identifying waterbodies frequented by the elephants.
    • DNA profiling
    • Camera traps
    • Statistical modelling based on mark-recapture
  • Till 2017 Direct and Indirect method only used and Scientific estimation is being used in this years’ census.

Regional Elephant Population Decline and Threats

Region

Declining %

(Compared with 2017 Estimate)

Threats

Central Indian and Eastern Ghats

41 %

  • Unmitigated mining
  • Linear infrastructure construction
  • developmental projects

Southern West Bengal, and

84%

Jharkhand

68%

Orissa

54%

Western Ghats

About 18 %

  • Commercial plantations (coffee and tea)
  • Farmland fencing
  • Human encroachment

Kerala -

Nearly 51% (2,900)

Shivalik-Terai population in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh

2%

  • Encroachments
  • Forest clearing
  • Monoculture
  • Invasive species
  • Intensified agriculture
  • Linear infrastructure

North East

Data Not Available

  • Human habitations
  • Tea plantations
  • Mines, oil refineries
  • Linear infrastructure

What are the impacts of declining elephant population?

  • Human Animal Conflict – Threats have pushed elephants to venture into historical but currently unoccupied areas fuelling human-elephant conflicts.
  • Retaliatory Killing - In some cases, conflicts can escalate to retaliatory killings of elephants, further exacerbating their population decline.
  • Economic Losses - Human-elephant conflicts can result in significant economic losses for farmers and communities, especially in areas where agriculture is a primary livelihood.
  • Habitat Degradation - As elephant populations decline, their role in shaping and maintaining ecosystems becomes compromised.

Elephants are ecosystem engineers and keystone species influencing vegetation structure and seed dispersal.

  • Disruption of Food Chains -Their decline can disrupt food chains, affecting predator populations and overall ecosystem balance.
  • Reduced Seed Dispersal - Elephants play a vital role in dispersing seeds, helping to regenerate forests and maintain plant diversity.
  • Loss of Cultural Heritage - Elephants have deep cultural significance in India, and their decline represents a loss of cultural heritage.
  • Reduced Tourism Revenue - Elephant tourism is a significant source of income in many parts of India.
  • Impact on Traditional Practices - Some indigenous communities rely on elephants for their livelihoods and cultural practices.

What are the elephant’s conservation initiatives?

  • Area Conservation - There are 33 elephant reserves in India aimed at conserving their population.
  • Project Elephant – It was launched in 1992 to protect elephants, their habitat and corridors, address issues of man-animal conflict and welfare of captive elephants
  • Surveillance - Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephant is launched in 10 elephant reserves since 2003.
  • Stop Poaching - Anti-poaching units have been formed to patrol elephant habitats and apprehend poachers.
  • Prevent Wildlife Crime - Special Elephant task forces have been set up to address specific threats to elephant populations, such as ivory smuggling.
  • Compensation – Community compensation schemes are in place to reimburse farmers for crop damage caused by elephants.
  • Surveys - Regular elephant surveys are conducted to assess elephant population trends and distribution.

What are the strategies to conserve elephant population?

  • Strengthening elephant corridors and connectivity, restoring habitat, mitigating developmental projects, and ensuring the support of local communities for elephant conservation.
  • Focused estimation exercise to comprehensively assess occupancy and abundance to devise specific conservation actions.
  • Develop early warning systems to alert communities of approaching elephant herds.
  • Establish community-based anti-poaching units to monitor and protect elephant habitats.

Reference

The Indian Express | Count fell by 20% in 5 year

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