From WWF to Project Elephant: Conservation Triumphs

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From WWF to Project Elephant: Conservation Triumphs

12 Aug 2023

"Bow your head. Show them respect. The elephants created this jungle. Where they made furrows with their tusks, rivers flowed, where they blew their trunks the leaves fell."

-Bagheera to Mowgli in ‘The Jungle Book’ movie

These lines by a member of the apex predator genus 'Panthera' to an unaware human boy in the forest, at the outset of the blog clarify the eminence of elephants in the forest and form a tribute to these iconic animals on World Elephant Day: 12 August.

The day was originally celebrated on August 12, 2012, collaboratively by filmmakers Patricia Sims and Michael Clark and Elephant Reintroduction Foundation (Thailand) by broadcasting the award-winning documentary "Return to the Forest". It is observed to spread awareness and provide a platform for the international community, organizations, governments and individuals for issues concerning shrinking elephant populations and their conservation.

Bagheera's statement aptly describes the role of elephants as keystone species (that have no replacement in the ecological niche) and as ecosystem engineers (allogenic: driving change in the external environment of forest or Savannah to maintain it such that a variety of species can thrive).

Importance of Elephants

Elephants, the largest terrestrial mammals, are highly intelligent with a sharp memory, emotional sensitivity and social behaviour; also acting as huge carbon stores. They carry out sustainable natural thinning of dense forests, maintaining healthy undergrowth (by crushing competing flora), and removing small trees or branches: promoting the growth of tall trees that sequester more carbon and preventing the Savannah landscape from changing into scrub forest. They are also important seed dispersers responsible for long-range dispersal of a variety of fruit seeds gaining them the title of "mega gardeners of forest". Their dung forms a rich fertilizer for the soil. They create passages through dense forests and during dry spells dig water holes through dry riverbeds using their tusks.

Based on carbon values and estimates of services they provide, the International Monetary Fund has valued a single forest elephant at more than 1.7 million , inspiring institutions and individuals to invest in their protection. Elephants with tusks are hunted for their precious ivory while those without tusks arerisk from habitat loss and degradation (due to unorganized development). This in turn increases ses human-elephant conflict (HEC). Small isolated habitats also increase inbreeding and disease amongst elephants. On the other hand, captive elephants face issues of mistreatment.

Elephants and Culture: In African mythology, they are considered to be chiefs resolving disputes. In Asian cultures elephants epitomize wisdom. In India elephant-headed God Ganesha is the symbol of intelligence and auspiciousness. In Buddhist cultures (China, South-East Asia and Sri Lanka) they are regarded as symbols of mental strength and wisdom.

Species of Elephants: Elephants are divided into three main species and other subspecies spreading across two continents in the world:

Africa: African forest elephant and African Savannah elephant, named according to their habitats. Both African species have ivory tusks tempting poachers.
Asia: Asiatic elephants are primarily forest elephants; an important sub-species is Sumatran elephant. Only some of the males have tusks.

Global Elephant Population Trends

Nearly a century back elephant populations thrived in Africa and Asia. However, African elephants were gradually lost to increasing ivory demands in the Far East; Asiatic populations, on the other hand, declined owing to loss of habitat and HECs. Once spanning from the Mediterranean to the Cape of Good Hope, African elephants are now limited to only 22% of Africa in 37 countries (around 3-5 million in 1930; 750,000 in 1998 and 300,000-450,000 in 2003).

A study in 2016 provides the nearest available estimate of 415,000 elephants in areas surveyed. Spatial distribution also shifted from Central Africa to Southern countries with Botswana leading the way.

Asiatic elephants are estimated to be around 46,000 in the wild, of which above 50% are in India. Once roaming freely from far North as the Yangtze in China, West Asia and South and South East Asia, its habitat is now limited to 0.5 million km2 across 13 countries.

Elephants and Conservation

Conservation Status:

Over time elephants gradually declined from widespread to vulnerable to endangered and critically endangered species. As per IUCN, African forest elephants are critically endangered while African Savanna elephants are endangered; Asian elephants are endangered and the Sumatran subspecies stands critically endangered.

History of Global Conservation Efforts:

In Africa, elephant conservation goes back a long way to 1884 when Paul Kruger requested the South African government to formulate National wildlife reserves ( achieved a decade later).
- A century later in 1981, the Association of Zoos And Aquarium Species 'Survival Plan For Elephants' began as well.
Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS) was set up in 1985 (managed by TRAFFIC) o regulate ivory trade.
A USA parliament African Elephant Conservation Act was enacted in 1988 leading to the formation of the African Conservation Fund.
- For Asian counterparts, 'the Asian Elephant Conservation Act of 1997' led to the establishment of the Asian Elephant Conservation Fund (AsECF).
- Elephants throughout Asia for the most of the 20th century had generic protection via national wildlife laws without any distinctive elephant work.
Notable however is the role of WWF in the conservation of elephants.
- In 1960 British biologist Sir Julian Huxley visited Africa as a part of a UNESCO initiative, observing wildlife for 3 months. Subsequently, he published a series of articles in The Observer in which elephant poaching was a highlight.
- "Politics we shall always have with us, but if wildlife is destroyed it will be gone forever and if it is seriously reduced its restoration will be a lengthy and expensive business" - Sir Julian Huxley in The Observer November 13, 1960.
His compelling articles on the need to protect wildlife in Africa and worldwide eventually lead to the formation of WWF in 1961.

WWF and Elephant Conservation:

WWF's first 'Lumparda Elephant Project' (1988) with buffer zone creation as an important strategy, led to a significant dip in elephant poaching.
Along with AEC creation in the US, WWF’s pursuance resulted in a ban on ivory by CITES in 1989.
In 1991, TRAFFIC started coverage of elephant centres in East and South Africa. The Living in Finite Environment (LIFE) project (1980) facilitated WWF activities in Namibia focused on monitoring of elephant activity, poaching, ivory trade and craft, through community engagement.
The following year it organized one day Yaounde Forest Summit during which it was decided to form cross-border protected forests in the Congo basin to provide unfragmented habitat to migrating animals like elephants. The project was a major success as in 2001 the nations surpassed their targets and started focusing on anti-poaching efforts.
At the start of the 21^st century, WWF took on the ambitious task of trans-border wildlife corridor conservation between India and Nepal through Terai Arc Landscape Program, (also a success); managed by daily visits and communication between local communities on both sides, reducing HECs.

India's Project Elephant

India’s Project Elephant (PE)

Project Elephant was launched by the Central Government of India in 1992, with the objective to conserve wild Asian elephants, their habitat and corridors. Additionally, it seeks to address HEC and the welfare of captive elephants. Financial and technical assistance is also provided to 16 elephant-bearing states/ UTs.

Key Features of the Project:

Restoration of existing elephant habitats and migratory routes
Scientific planning for conservation of elephant populations and habitats
HEC mitigation
Stringent laws to deter poaching and unnatural death of elephants
Research on elephant issues
Education and awareness programmes for the public
Eco-development
Veterinary care and rehabilitation centres for elephants

Elephant Reserves (ER) and Corridors (EC):

The first ER in India - 'Singhbhum ER' was opened under the auspices of PE in 2001; since then 32 more ERs have been added, the latest being Terai ER in UP. As of now, 101 ECs have been identified, of which some have been restored. Maintenance of the majority of corridors has been taken up by the Asian Elephant Alliance (a group of NGOs). Recently, as a first, the Odisha government notified Similipal-Hadgarh-Kuldiha EC as a "conservation reserve" in January 2023.

Captive Animal Welfare:

The government announced DNA profiling of elephants to celebrate the 30 years (2022) of PE, which will act as a genetic ID of elephants and help in controlling their illegal trade, mistreatment and movement between habitats and corridors. The Gaj Soochna app provides information to forest officials regarding elephant movement and other parameters listed above.

Human Elephant Conflict Resolution:

HECs result in loss of farmlands, property and life. People retaliate by electrocuting, poisoning and shooting elephants. Prospective solutions had been already published under PE as HEC resolution best practices which include maintenance of water holes, solar-powered borewells, fodder plantation, invasive species and weed removal, bamboo planting, fencing etc.

The ‘Best Practices HEC Management in India (2020) released as a part of PE focuses on 'limiting elephants to wild areas' by sometimes adopting rather unethical practices like electric fencing, diverting using firecrackers rather than expanding forested areas, properly connecting their natural habitat and limiting human interference in wild and surrounding areas. In 2021, aiming at human-wildlife conflict management, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) included insurance for crops destroyed by wildlife.

Innovative Conservation Approaches

Tech Challenges: WWF and WILDLABS organzied first ever Human Wildlife Conflict Tech Challenge, which was won by ShadowView Foundation using Long Range Wide Area Network to check leaks in electric fencing to prevent elephant conflicts.
Use of Remote Sensing and GIS: Satellite imagery, GPS tracking and drones are being used for monitioring elephant behavior, movement, habitat and corridors, particularly in areas prone to poaching. Machine learning alograrithms are used to used to identify elephants from the satellite imageries. ArcGIS Survey123, a GIS app is used in Elephants and Bees Project (Kenya) to digitise questionnaires and enable faster digital data collection from field. Human Elephant Alert Technologies (HEAT) by Zoological Society of London (ZSL) use thermal imagery for elephant early warning.
- AI powered drones: enable non-invasive detection of elephants in wild, dark, crowded and inaccessible settings which is used for HEC prevention, habitat and corridor conservation (example: TuftsNow partnership deploys such drones in East Africa).
- Innovative Radio-Collars: fitted with sims to send alarm text messages with animal location to conflict-resolution teams.
Sound-based technologies: ZSL and GoogleCloud have developed low-cost acoustic loggers ‘AudioMoths’ that can hear sounds like gunshots from a range of 1km and activate anti-poaching squads.

International Collaborations

Indo-German Collaboration Project: Recently the Indian government sought German Collaboration on HEC mitigation: sharing technical expertise, knowledge and pilot project implementation focussing on a holistic landscape approach.
E 8 Ministerial Meet : India hosted First Ministerial Meet of key 8 elephant bearing countries in New Delhi (2011) to bring scholars, conservationists and policymakers together to form an elephant conservation forum and policy to restore elephant populations in 50 countries in coming 50 years under the umbrella of “E 50:50 forum”.
International Elephant Foundation (IEF) Grant: Human-elephant coexistence awareness program in Tamilnadu and HEC mitigation via community-managed Tongies in Kaziranga Park fringe. IEF is also carrying out a trial project in Bannerghatta National Park on an 'early warning system' for elephants crossing roads to avoid collision in partnership with A Rocha India. In the past, it funded projects like laser fencing, cloud source elephant monitoring and early warning.
SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund: Supports HEC resolution project in Anamalai hills.
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA): is supporting HEC mitigation using technology in its initial stages.
Global Nature Fund, Germany: Supports HEC resolution and cooperation between India and Nepal border areas.
Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, C0P 13: held in India 2020 adopted the Gandhinagar declaration where the Asian elephant was added to the Global Wildlife Agreement.
MIKE (Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants)

Government Policies and Legal Framework

Apart from the dedicated project Elephant, several policy measures exist in Indian legislature to protect elephants:

Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Under which elephants are listed in Schedule 1; also require the permission of the local Chief Wildlife Warden for ownership of an elephant.
CITES Ratification: Carried out in 1976 to include the Asiatic elephant in Appendix 1 which prohibits international trade in a species threatened with extinction.
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960: Which also formulated Animal Welfare Board, may be evoked for the care of captive elephants.
Gajah Task Force, 2010: Reviewed existing elephant protection measures, suggested several measures to conserve elephants and listed 26 wildlife corridors for immediate upgradation.
Gaj Yatra and Gaj Mahotsav: Started in 2017 and 2018 respectively by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and Wildlife Trust of India are interactive events celebrating elephants, increasing awareness and securing the corridors as brought out by the seminal report Rights of Passage.
HEC Mitigation: Launch of Surakshya portal in 2020 for real-time monitoring of HEC to aid policymakers.
Gaj Gaurav Award, 2022: Incentivising grassroot elephant care

Challenges to Elephant Conservation

Absence of a clear legal status of ERs and ECs making them protected areas like that under Project Tiger.
- Corridors only have clear legal protection when they are notified as a 'conservation reserve' or any other protected area.
Anthropocentric View of Development: Disregarding nature to adopt unsustainable development practices.
- On an institutional level, it includes permits for mining activities (for example: permitting coal-mining activities in Dehing Patkai ER).
- Denotification of Shivalik ER to allow expansion of Dehradun airport is another such example.

Role of Local Community

Much of the elephant conservation focuses on indulging fringe communities, often converting them from poachers to conservers. Such programs include education, awareness, patrol training and other passive or natural techniques that do not harm elephants while preserving human property (Elephant Human Relation Aid focussed on education in Namibia; Beehive Fencing in Tsano took to teaching biofencing to the locals by Save The Elephants; Community-based Wildlife Ecotourism trained community in co-existence to earn sustainable livelihoods in Lajkipia-Samburu, Kenya). Chunauti co-management community, Bangladesh evolved into an all-women anti-poaching patrol. The MALI project also engages the local community. The voluntary relocation of local community to other places helped preserve the Tirunelli-Kudrakote elephant corridor in Kerela. Indigenous people protecting forest land against mining and development projects act as an additional effect to secure elephant habitats (community protests in Assam against mining in an elephant reserve on peripheries of Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary led to a court stay on the open cast mine). A proactive role by the local community and activists through public protests and court appeals against the de-notification of Shivalik ER led the Uttarakhand government to finally repeal its move (in January, 2021).

Conservation Ethics and Education

At the outset, there is a need to de-couple conservation solely from the 'value to human existence' approach and implement the 'right of all species to equally exist' perspective. Ethical conservation facilities should not engage in tourist or industry-centric activities like elephant rides, bathing, shows, heavy work, forced breeding and imbalanced mahout-elephant training. Rather, it should take care of the physical and mental well-being of elephants as well as their mahouts, limiting external human interference; they are regarded as retirement homes or 'saddle off' places for elephants.

In India, some elephant centres managed together by Wildlife SOS and state governments are deemed ethical based on the above practices (example: Elephant Conservation and Care Centre, Mathura; country's first Elephant Hospital, UP; Elephant Rehabilitation Centre, Haryana).

To practically implement ethical conservation, it is essential to educate fringe communities and the general population about the important role elephants play in maintaining ecosystems, food chains and natural processes; how grim the future may be without their presence. Including it in the school curriculum in forest-bearing provinces or districts may be helpful, along with dedicated education and training programmes for adults.

Conclusion

While WWF efforts have been commendable and PE has been a broad success in bringing elephant conservation to centre stage, it has more often than not been HEC-centric. As the population of elephants in South African countries increased they were permitted limited ivory trade. In India PE was recently merged with Project Tiger, which may shift the dedicated focus from the species that have different conservation challenges. Additionally the decision does not clarify division of funds and fate of places like Sundarbans where there are no elephants . The Forest Conservation Amendment Bill 2023 redefined 'forest' as considered till now to allow the construction of linear projects of strategic importance, also exempting borderlands from clearances. The bill may impact several indigenous communities as well as wildlife. In such a scenario, occasions like World Elephant Day dedicated to these endangered species are a reminder to conserve them.

References:

Sakshi Naithani

Sakshi has done her Masters in Geography from Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. She is currently pursuing Ph.D. in natural hazard risk assessment from Indian Institute of Remote Sensing-Kumaun University. When not engaged in research work, she loves to write poetry.

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