Elephant conservation must focus on habitat connectivity, says P.S. Easa
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Noted wildlife biologist P.S. Easa has attributed habitat loss and fragmentation, rather than climate change alone, as the biggest threats facing elephants in the country.
Delivering the keynote address on a session on elephants at the Wildlife Week conclave organised by Coexistence Collective in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday, Dr. Easa said decisions concerning elephant habitats should be based on scientific understanding, rather than assumptions or ad-hoc interventions.
He pointed out that elephants require large, connected habitats because of their food, water and movement requirements. Fragmentation of habitats isolates elephant populations and can lead to ecological and genetic isolation, the former director of Kerala Forest Research Institute said.
He also questioned assumptions that elephants move into human-dominated areas due to a lack of food or water. He said such claims needed to be supported by scientific studies and data. Referring to Wayanad and other protected areas, he said such regions had numerous water sources and that claims about water scarcity should be examined carefully.
Former National Board for Wildlife member Prerna Singh Bindra said the recent Supreme Court order directing a fresh nationwide survey of elephant corridors provides an opportunity to identify lost and emerging elephant routes, remove obstructions and strengthen their protection.
According to her, the order is significant because elephant corridors in India do not have the kind of statutory protection available to some protected areas. While elephants are protected as a scheduled species under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, the land used by them does not automatically receive the same protection.
She pointed out that the pachyderms are migratory and wide-ranging animals for whom administrative boundaries have no meaning. Their traditional routes are based on accumulated knowledge of the landscape, including the location of water and food. “But when habitats and these routes are altered by mining, dams, highways, tourism, urbanisation and other infrastructure, elephants adapt and seek new passages,” she said.
Former Director of the Communication and Capacity Development Unit (CCDU), Water Resources Department, V. Subhash Chandra Bose; chaired the discussion.
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