The available forest department conflict records since 1991 onwards were also incorporated during analysis. Habitat loss and humanelephant conflict in assam, india. Elephanthuman conflict is a result of habitat loss and fragmentation. It has assumed a severe character due to increasing human population. Elephants of india find themselves in the hotbed of conflict. There are several projects and initiatives, on the mitigation of elephanthuman conflict, taking place around the country w ith little sharing of information. The winning solution will receive a prize of up to 30,000 eur.
Catastrophic poaching in the 1970s and 80s saw their populations plummet to a mere fraction of pre 1970s numbers. Pdf habitat loss and humanelephant conflict in assam, india. Elephant herd moving into agricultural area, assam, india. Pdf humanelephant conflict in india, driven by habitat loss and an expanding human population, is a complex challenge for biodiversity conservation find. The humanelephant conflict in assam has seen a steep rise in the recent times. In india alone, an average of 400 people and 100 elephants are killed every year as a result of humanwildlife conflict. Altogether 70 elephants have died this year and causes vary from train accidents to poisoning and electrocution, according to the forest department. Humanelephant conflict, case study, mitigation, elephants. Jan 23, 2018 this conflict also results in the death of elephants. Predicting hotspots of humanelephant conflict to inform.
The humanelephant conflict in indias tea state assam bbc news. Data collected by conservationists has revealed that 40 elephants have died in assam in the last 100 days. All of them have been killed due to unnatural causes, with the primary reasons. People complain that elephants destroy their home gardens and their vegetable gardens. The scenario of man elephant conflict in hoollongapar gibbon wildlife sanctuary of assam, india sujayita bhattacharjee abstract man elephant conflict is a crucial problem concerning the northeastern part of india. Between 1997 and 2001 there were 208 human and 175 elephant deaths in assam as a result of the con. This conflict also results in the death of elephants.
Determining correlates of human elephant conflict reports within fringe villages of kaziranga national park, assam abstract human elephant conflict hec is a key example of the growing competition between people and wildlife for space and resources throughout africa and asia. Case study from tamil nadu 447 use of s earch light served as a mitigating factor to avoid elephant intrusion into the villages from the nearby forest areas. The man elephant conflict has assumed alarming proportions in assam this year, raising the hackles of conservationists and compelling the state government to take initiatives to resolve the issue. Humanelephant conflict hec is dramatically on the rise and has become one of the major issues in the fight to save asias endangered elephants. Increasing trend of human elephant conflict in golaghat district, assam, india. For example, an elephant eats around 200 kg of food per day sukumar 2003 and a single elephant can destroy a hectare. Data on humanelephant conflict in previous years from 2005 to 2010 were collected from the local divisional forest offices to make comparative study on humanelephant conflict in balasore and rairangpur divisions from 2005 to 2011. There has been more livestock loss in areas where people took their. Introduction humanwildlife conflict hwc arises when there is a compulsion to share common limited resources, such as land, game, livestock or fish schwerdtner and brend, 2007 and graham et al. Humanelephant conflict hec occurs when people and wildlife compete for space and resources. The human elephant conflict is a term that defines a growing problem in asia.
Humanelephant conflict in india, driven by habitat loss and an expanding human population, is a complex challenge for biodiversity conservation. Pdf an assessment of humanelephant conflict in manas. The scenario of manelephant conflict in hoollongapar gibbon. The study suggested that, humanhuman conflict in the form of politics is the main cause of conflict. Sonitpur district, in the state of assam in northeast india, has been referred to as a ground zero for humanelephant conflict kvinta, 2004. The scenario of manelephant conflict in hoollongapar gibbon wildlife sanctuary of assam, india sujayita bhattacharjee abstract manelephant conflict is a crucial problem concerning the northeastern part of india. Latest and breaking news on elephant human conflict. An assessment of humanelephant conflict was carried out in the fringe villages around manas national park, assam during 200506. Determining correlates of humanelephant conflict reports within fringe villages of kaziranga national park, assam abstract humanelephant conflict hec is a key example of the growing competition between people and wildlife for space and resources throughout africa and asia. Communitybased humanelephant conflict management in assam. Pdf habitat loss and humanelephant conflict in assam. Human elephant conflict hec is a complex and pervasive problem that occurs throughout the range of the african elephant wherever elephants and people share the same habitat, often competing for the same resources. Feb 05, 20 while visiting wtis rescue centre in kaziranga, assam, we witnessed an elephant crossing the adjacent tea plantation two mornings in a row. At the same time, many poor farmers havent changed their daily lives for hundreds of years but their crops and villages are being threatened.
Humans and elephants in asia have a long history of living and working alongside each other. In g eneral, tr aditi onal m eth ods ar e easy to use, have low costs an d ar e m or e effective at low levels o f confli ct. Examining humanelephant conflict in southern africa. The new regional plan to curb humanelephant conflict in eastern and central india is significant for several reasons. Habitat is shrinking daily and humans are encroaching on the territory of elephants. Data on human elephant conflict in previous years from 2005 to 2010 were collected from the local divisional forest offices to make comparative study on human elephant conflict in balasore and rairangpur divisions from 2005 to 2011. The rhino foundation for nature in ne india, guwahati, india. Wwf and wildlabs challenge you to develop a new, or improved, technology tool to reduce such interactions between humans and elephants. The state of assam in northeast india exemplifies how human elephant conflicts unfold amongst marginalised agricultural communities. The african elephant is perhaps the most iconic migratory land mammal on the continent. Inaugurated on wednesday by the wildlife wardens of odisha, chhattisgarh, bihar, jharkhand and west bengal, it requires their departments to come together for the first time to resolve a problem which has assumed grave proportions in the last decade. Humanelephant conflict mitigation mara elephant project. Due to large scale deforestation for the construction of villages, elephants have lost their natural habitats that.
The escalation of humanelephant conflict in the past few decades and technological advances have resulted in d evelopm ent of ad diti onal m eth ods to ad dress th e pr oblem. The favorite plantations which elephants always disturb are oil palm and banana. Explore elephant human conflict profile at times of india. While visiting wtis rescue centre in kaziranga, assam, we witnessed an elephant crossing the adjacent tea plantation two mornings in a row.
View humanelephant conflict research papers on academia. Traditional landuse practices were suggested to mitigate conflict, who shared resources with elephants. The available forest department conflict records since 1991. In order to meet this challenge, in 1997 the african elephant specialist group afesg officially inaugurated a fivemember humanelephant conflict task force. Lets tune in to this beautiful story of bonding between man and animal. Hindu and buddhist religious traditions accord the elephant a sacred status and humans have been taming, training and riding elephants for millennia. In 2002 this was renamed the humanelephant conflict working group hecwg to more accurately reflect the ongoing nature of its work. The news portal caters news of national importance from the seven north eastern states and also helps in promoting the rich cultural heritage and cuisines of the region in the national and international arena. View human elephant conflict research papers on academia. In 2002 this was renamed the human elephant conflict working group hecwg to more accurately reflect the ongoing nature of its work. The assam forest department data shows that a total of 245 humans and 146 elephants were killed between 2001 and 2014 in mananimal conflicts on the border between assam and bhutan. In assams forests, humanelephant conflict has no winners between 2006 and 2016, wild elephants have killed 785 people in the state, while 225 pachyderms fell victim to poaching, speeding. Humanelephant conflict in assams tea gardens the human price of the conflict with elephants in indias tea garden state where a student was killed by. In order to meet this challenge, in 1997 the african elephant specialist group afesg officially inaugurated a fivemember human elephant conflict task force.
Wildlife managers in one state do not have access to research findings or results of mitigation measure testing being carried out in other states. Pdf increasing trend of human elephant conflict in. Keywords humanwildlife conflict, elephant, fragmentation, conservation, india introduction northeastern ne india is comprised of several states, including arunachal pradesh, assam, manipur, meghalaya, mi zoram, nagaland, tripura, sikkim, and the northern parts of west bengal. A 2017 survey puts northeastern indias wild elephant population at 10,9 nearly 25 percent of the total asian elephant elephas maximus stock of which 5,719 are found in assam, 1,754. Officials blame smallscale plantations for most of the encroachment but local leaders told the bbc there was no uptodate land survey of bigger tea estates either. Humanelephant conflict hec is a complex interaction between humans and elephants, and. For the longterm, landscapescale strategies for habitat restoration and elephant conservation are essential, but these are conceptually and. When elephants and humans interact, there is conflict from crop raiding, injuries and deaths to humans caused by elephants, and elephants being killed by humans for reasons other than ivory and habitat degradation. A comprehensive study of humanelephant conflict in the. Manelephant conflict keeping assam forest dept on toes. Hec is on the rise as the space in the mara diminishes and the population continues to increase. Assam, therefore, is one of the most important strongholds for the survival of the asian elephant. Shrinking habitat and human elephant conflict in assam, india. An assessment of humanelephant conflict was carried out in the fringe villages around manas national park, assam during 2005 06.
Humanelephant conflicts in northeast india assam state. The biggest cause of humanelephant conflict hec, however, is that elephants simply cannot live within the small fencedoff areas that we call the protected area network. In fact in most countries across the asian elephants range, it has replaced poaching as the major human cause of elephant mortality. Humanelephant conflict in assams tea gardens bbc news. According to department of wildlife and national parks, the highest numbers of human elephant conflict were recorded in johor 203 cases per year on average. Humanelephant conflict hec is a complex and pervasive problem that occurs throughout the range of the african elephant wherever elephants and people share the. In assams forests, humanelephant conflict has no winners. The manelephant conflict has assumed alarming proportions in assam this year, raising the hackles of conservationists and compelling the state government to take initiatives to resolve the issue. A case study in chunati wildlife sanctuary, bangladesh come to the villages as well as to the fields. However, in assam, unsustainable extraction of forest products and encroachment of forests. The humanelephant conflict in indias tea state assam.
An assessment of humanelephant conflict in manas national. We are an independent media run by a team of dedicated and experienced journalist of north east from national media background. Elephant human conflict is a result of habitat loss and fragmentation. Pdf among the land mammals, the schedule i wpa, 1972 asian elephant elephas mmimus is md only to african elephant loxodonta. This short video provides a snapshot of humanelephant conflict in assam. Dec 05, 2014 this short video provides a snapshot of human elephant conflict in assam. According to the ministry of environment and forest, only 22 percent of the elephant habitat in india comes under the protected areas network. Identifying reasons of occurrence 92 movement of elephants is largely dependent on the availability of food, water and shelter. According to indias environment ministry, 72 elephants were killed between 20 and 2014, with more than 100 killed in 2012. There are several projects and initiatives, on the mitigation of elephant human conflict, taking place around the country w ith little sharing of information.
Assams elephants at risk as mananimal conflict on the rise. Jan 24, 2018 growers of worldfamous assam tea are encroaching into forests, fuelling a conflict between elephants and humans, locals and authorities in the indian state have said. A study of habitat utilization patterns of asian elephant elephas maximus and current status of human elephant conflict in manas national park within chirangripu elephant reserve, assam. Human elephant conflict in india, driven by habitat loss and an expanding human population, is a complex challenge for biodiversity conservation. Estimates for the wild elephant population in assam vary. Aug 25, 2019 the human elephant conflict is a term that defines a growing problem in asia. A comprehensive study of humanelephant conflict in the bordering areas of the three reserve forests of lakhimpur district, assam. Growers of worldfamous assam tea are encroaching into forests, fuelling a conflict between elephants and humans, locals and authorities in the indian state have said. Determining if, how and why this conflict has changed over time will be an important step towards managing landscapes where people and elephants elephas maximus coexist. Explore elephant human conflict profile at times of india for photos, videos and latest news of elephant human. Land conflicts may be the greatest longterm threat to elephant conservation because as people and elephants inhabit the same areas and share scarce resources, there will be more pressure to encroach on elephant habitat for human uses, and this will get worse as human populations continue to grow. Jan 23, 2018 human elephant conflict in assam s tea gardens the human price of the conflict with elephants in indias tea garden state where a student was killed by an elephant on her way home from college. In the kenya portion of the ecosystem the maasai mara and surrounding areas, people and wildlife peacefully coexisted for years when space for both.
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