Human elephant conflict or HEC, is the biggest challenge confronting
Asian elephant conservation. Asia has a very high density of people
and an extremely rapid population growth rate. Consequently, more
and more land has to be opened up to feed the hungry millions and
more and more land has to be converted to settle the landless millions.
For example, even in Sri Lanka which has one of the lowest growth
rates in Asia, the population density is over 300 people per square
km and 750 more people are added to the population every day. That
means 7500 more people every 10 days and 22,500 more people every
month. To simply maintain the status quo, we have to find food,
housing, clothing, jobs, etc. for 750 more people every day. So
we have to open up and develop more and more areas just to keep
our place on the tread mill.
On one hand, elephants are losing ground. As in the rest of Asia,
in Sri Lanka too more than two thirds of elephants live outside
protected areas. With expanding human populations, natural habitats
that are not designated as 'protected' are being converted to human
habitats at an ever increasing rate. Where elephants once ranged
have sprung up crop fields, where they once bathed and peacefully
drank is now an agricultural reservoir.
Every day, elephants are losing ground to the human tide. Their
access to critical resources, are blocked by human habitations and
fences. When they come out to water or to feed in an open area,
they are chased away. Trap guns, muzzle loaders, planks studded
with nails left on trails, poison, all take their toll, killing
and maiming elephants.
In response elephants have become almost completely nocturnal and
very secretive, taking flight at the sound of a human voice and
hiding in impenetrable thickets during the day.
On the other hand, our economy is largely agro based. The crops
cultivated by humans have been developed over thousands of years
of careful breeding to be highly productive, more nutritious, energy
rich and very tasty.
Unfortunately, elephants also appreciate our efforts very much,
and think it great to tuck into the bountiful harvest. Understandably
the farmers don't agree. Most farmers who cultivate in elephant
ranges are very poor and their survival depends on obtaining a good
harvest. They have to overcome a host of challenges such as insects,
rodents, weeds, crop diseases, vagaries of weather, high prices
of agro chemicals etc. to nurse their crop to harvest. Then a few
days before the harvest, an elephant walks in and destroys the field...
or after the harvest is gathered and finally stored in his mud hut,
an elephant knocks down the house... Trying to chase it away may
lead to injury or even death... with financial ruin and starvation
of his family the result.
Thus, HEC is a very complex and intractable problem with both
humans and elephants the losers. There are no silver bullets that
will resolve HEC and we have to think of new approaches that can
mitigate the conflict and safeguard both people and elephants. We
at CCR are developing a new strategy for elephant conservation based
on our past research. A number of our projects are specifically
for this purpose.
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Has one to die so the other can live?
Elephant shot dead
Paddy field damaged by elephants
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