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Key Points

A major stakeholders' consultation on elephant conservation was held at Kaziranga National Park. The meeting brought together forest officials, researchers, and local community representatives to develop a regional action plan. Discussions focused on protecting critical elephant corridors that enable migration between 13 reserves across Northeast states. The plan emphasizes community participation and addressing human-elephant conflict while preserving habitat connectivity.

Key Points: Northeast Elephant Conservation Plan Meeting Held at Kaziranga

  • Meeting focused on protecting 13 key elephant reserves across Northeast India
  • Strategies discussed to reduce human-elephant conflict through community participation
  • Plan aims to secure vital migration corridors between fragmented habitats
  • Kaziranga National Park hosts remarkable population of Big Five species
3 min read

Stakeholders meet on regional action plan for elephant conservation in Northeast

Stakeholders meet at Kaziranga National Park to develop regional action plan for elephant conservation in Northeast India, focusing on corridors and human-wildlife conflict.

"“The identification, protection, and restoration of these corridors remain vital for the survival of elephants in the region” - Sonali Ghosh, KNPTR Director"

Guwahati, Sep 12

A stakeholders' consultation on the regional action plan for elephant conservation in the Northeast was held on Friday at the Kohora Convention Centre in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR), India’s seventh UNESCO World Heritage Site.

KNPTR Director Sonali Ghosh said that the session was held in the presence of the MoEFCC (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change) committee led by B.S. Bonal, retired Indian Forest Service officer.

The committe visited the KNPTR from September 9–12.

Northeast India is home to 13 important elephant reserves that provide critical habitats for the region's wild elephants and support their conservation on a landscape scale.

Ghosh said that major elephant reserves in the Northeast include Kameng and South Arunachal elephant reserves in Arunachal Pradesh; Sonitpur, Dihing-Patkai, Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong, Dhansiri-Lungding and Chirang-Ripu elephant reserves in Assam; Intanki and Singphan elephant reserves in Nagaland; and Garo Hills and Khasi-hills elephant reserves in Meghalaya.

These reserves are interconnected by numerous elephant corridors that allow for seasonal and long-distance migration, helping maintain genetic diversity and reduce human-elephant conflict across forested landscapes, the KNPTR Director said.

She said: “The identification, protection, and restoration of these corridors remain vital for the survival of elephants in the region, as they enable free movement between fragmented habitats in the face of infrastructural development and habitat fragmentation.”

According to the senior IFS officer, the Friday’s consultation also brought together a diverse group of participants, including researchers, representatives of Eco-Development Committees (EDC), Village Defence Parties (VDP), and local community members.

The deliberations focused on identifying practical strategies to address the challenges of elephant conservation in the region, with particular attention to human-elephant conflict, habitat connectivity, and the role of community participation.

According to Ghosh the Regional Action Plan for Elephants by the MoEFCC centers on protecting wild elephant populations, securing their habitats and corridors, and mitigating human-elephant conflict (HEC) through coordinated management, community participation, and anti-poaching efforts.

Retired IFS officer M.K. Yadava, and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Assam, Vinay Gupta, and other experts working in elephant conservation attended the Friday’s meeting.

The KNPTR, India's seventh UNESCO World Heritage site, comprises three forest divisions -- the Eastern Assam Wildlife Division, Bokakhat; the Bishwanath Wildlife Division, Biswanath Chariali; and the Nagaon Wildlife Division, Nagaon.

Home to a remarkable population of the 'Big Five', the famed park comprises 2,613 Greater One-horned Rhinoceroses as of the 2022 census, 104 Bengal Tigers (as of 2022), 1,228 Asian Elephants in 2024, 2,565 Wild Water Buffaloes in 2022, and 1,129 Eastern Swamp Deer also recorded in 2022.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
As someone from Assam, I've seen firsthand how elephant corridors are being destroyed by infrastructure projects. Hope this action plan actually leads to concrete protection measures. We need to balance development with conservation.
R
Rohit P
Excellent step! Northeast India is a biodiversity hotspot and elephant conservation is crucial. The statistics about Kaziranga's wildlife population are impressive - 1,228 elephants is a significant number. Hope other states learn from this model.
M
Michael C
While the consultation is commendable, I hope this doesn't become another paperwork exercise. We've seen many plans fail due to poor implementation. The real test will be on-ground action and adequate funding allocation.
S
Shreya B
The involvement of Eco-Development Committees and Village Defence Parties is smart thinking. Local communities are the first responders in human-elephant conflict situations. Their traditional knowledge combined with scientific approaches can work wonders! 🙏
K
Karthik V
Protecting elephant corridors is the key! Many farmers in the Northeast face crop damage from elephants. Proper corridor management can reduce these conflicts while ensuring elephants can migrate safely. Hope this plan addresses compensation mechanisms for affected farmers too.

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