Elephant Conservation

Published on 05 Apr 2025

Approximately 30,000 elephants, or over 55% of the world's wild Asian elephant population, live in India. India's population is split across its northeastern, eastern, central, and southern regions.

Significance of Elephant Conservation

• Seed Dispersal and Habitat Regeneration: Elephants help in the spread of seeds. They eat a wide range of fruits and plants, and their excrement serves as a natural fertilizer, encouraging the growth of new plants.

• Example: According to research by Nottingham University in Khao Yai National Park found that Asian elephants were the major seed dispersers for the p. macrocarpa.

• Water Resource Management: Elephants are known to excavate dry riverbeds to create and maintain water holes.

• Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health: Elephants are recognized as "ecosystem engineers" because they help shape and preserve their habitats.

• Example: Asian elephant tracks serve as important as nurseries for frog eggs and tadpoles during the dry season in Myanmar

• Cultural and Ecotourism Significance: Elephant conservation helps to the preservation of cultural heritage and traditions as well as ecotourism.

• Example: Sakrebailu Elephant Camp of Karnataka is an eco-tourism destination that not only preserves wildlife but also enables a sustainable eco-tourism activity.

• Economic and Livelihood Benefits: Sustainable Elephant tourism helps to generate economic benefits for local communities.

• Example:  Elephant Valley Project of Mondulkiri, a province in northeastern Cambodia.

Challenges of Elephant Conservation

• Human-Wildlife Conflict: Human-elephant conflicts increase when human populations grow and encroach upon elephant habitats.

• Example: 222 elephants were killed by electrocution across the country between 2018-19 and 2020-21.

• Poaching and Illegal Ivory Trade: Poaching and illegal ivory trade are major threats to the life of elephants, particularly in Africa.

• Example: According to Wildlife Crime Control Bureau data, around 475 kg of raw ivory and 385 ivory artefacts were confiscated from poachers or traders in the country over the past five years.

• Captivity and Exploitation: According to Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (WRRC), Most of Karnataka’s domesticated elephants are leading a “painful” life under harsh conditions with limited access to healthcare.

• Disease Outbreaks: Elephant conservation is threatened by the spread of disease, particularly in places with high levels of human-elephant interaction or in fragmented habitats.

• Example: Death of elephants in Botswana and Zimbabwe due to bacterial infection, bacterium called Pasteurella Bisgaard taxon 45, which resulted in septicaemia, or blood poisoning.

• Habitat Loss and Fragmentation: The loss of habitat brought about by growing human populations, increased agricultural production, etc. isolates elephants and restricts their access to vital resources.

• Example: Incessant mining activities in the Dalma-Chandil corridor which was an elephant-friendly corridor have proved to be detrimental to their existence.

Government initiatives and policy measures

• Project Elephant: It is a centrally sponsored scheme and was launched in 1992 for the protection of elephants, their habitats and corridors.

• Project RE-HAB: To prevent elephant attacks on human settlements using honeybees and so minimize the loss of both human and elephant lives

• National Elephant Action Plan (NEAP): The focus is to mitigate human-elephant conflict, along with improvement of habitat.

• Gaj Gaurav Award, 2022: To recognize good practices adopted by captive elephant owners and outstanding works done by field officers, frontline staff and private custodians in elephant conservation.

International initiatives

• Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE): It is designed to monitor trends in the illegal killing of elephants, build management capacity and provide information to help range States in management and enforcement decisions.

• International Elephant Foundation (IEF): It actively supports conservation, awareness and scientific programs that enhance the survival of elephants and protects their habitat worldwide.

• African Elephant Coalition: This Coalition has 30 countries, recognised that working together is more likely to bring about a collective solution to the shared threats facing elephants.

• International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN): The African Elephant Specialist Group and the Asian Elephant Specialist Group, under the IUCN, contribute to research and conservation efforts of elephants.

Way Forward

• Anti-Poaching Measures: Implement and improve anti-poaching strategies, such as more frequent patrols, the use of technology like drones and video traps, and enforcement based on intelligence.

• Habitat Protection and Connectivity: Give priority to protecting and restoring habitat for elephants, with an emphasis on preserving and establishing connectivity between these areas.

• Strengthen Legal Frameworks: Enforce and maintain national and international legal frameworks for elephant conservation, such as those against poaching, illegal trade, and the destruction of elephant habitat.

• Community Engagement: Encourage local communities in elephant conservation efforts through community-based initiatives.

Case study

• Success story of Valparai-Pollachi area, Tamil Nadu: Stakeholders collectively working towards solutions which includes SMS and elephant boards to inform elephant movements, using bio repellants. This helped to zero incidents of human loss from elephant interactions reported in over a year from June 2021 to June 2022

Tags:
Environment

Keywords:
Wildlife Biodiversity Conservation Elephant

Syllabus:
General Studies Paper 3

Topics:
Biodiversity and Wildlife Conservation