Forging Linkages Across Regions for the Wide-ranging Asian Elephant

-  Announcements, -  Articles, -  Featured Article Leave a Comment

Connectivity across habitats and animal populations is critical to conservation. Connectivity is forged by animal movements – or dispersal – across large heterogeneous landscapes. Connectivity boosts the ability of animals to persist over time, and enhances both immunity and adaptability of animal populations, and helps prevent local extinctions. When local extinctions do occur, connectivity allows animals to recolonise previously occupied but currently empty or depauperate habitats.

Today, habitats are sometimes severely fragmented, and human presence has drastically restricted animal movement. … Read More

How Communities are Evolving to Deal with Human-Elephant Conflict in Northern Chhattisgarh

-  Announcements, -  Articles Leave a Comment

The Northern Chhattisgarh landscape is located at the intersection of the Eastern Baghelkhand plateau and the Chhattisgarh plains. The region is drained by the Mahanadi and Son rivers. Geologically, it is composed of lower Gondwana and the eastern extension of the Deccan Peninsula. It is surrounded by the Chhota Nagpur and Hazaribaug plateaus, which are rich in coal deposits. Over this buried ‘black gold’ stand the tropical dry deciduous and mixed forests inhabited by a wide variety of wildlife, including … Read More

Living with Elephants in the Anaimalais (Elephant Hills)

-  Announcements, -  Photos, -  Picture of the Week Leave a Comment

In the foothills of the Anaimalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) in Tamil Nadu, a couple of ‘mango showers’ mark the end of summer and herald the beginning of the monsoon. At this time, the private farmlands that adjoin the Tiger Reserve in the small village of Sethumadai are leased out by their owners to the local villagers – temporary tenant farmers, who work as daily laborers during the rest of the year. They plough the leased farmlands and sow the most … Read More

Building Bridges – Improving Forest Connectivity in the Western Ghats

-  Photos, -  Picture of the Week Leave a Comment

A young tusker walks along Aala Halla in Lokkere reserve forest (RF), an important migratory corridor connecting two parts of Bandipur Tiger Reserve. Ecological restoration in this landscape over the last 12-years involving Junglescapes (an NGO specialising in ecological restoration) has created a very healthy habitat for elephants, with excellent grass cover and numerous browsing trees / shrub species. The area has been made almost completely free of the exotic invasive Lantana camara. Usage of the habitat by elephants … Read More

Bannerghatta National Park In Grave Danger — Act Now!

-  Announcements Leave a Comment

New 2018 Notification Further Reduces Bannerghatta ESZ. 

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has released a new draft notification seeking to reduce the proposed Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around Bannerghatta National Park by a further 100 sq. km. This would reduce the zone to just 1km from the park’s boundary, and a mere 100m in some places. 

Read / download the new 2018 draft MoEFCC notification here.

Bannerghatta National Park is part of a contiguous wildlife habitat … Read More

Thirunelli-Kudrakote Elephant Corridor, Wayanad, Kerala

-  Photos, -  Picture of the Week Leave a Comment

This picture of a tusker attempting to cross the road was taken in the Thirunelli-Kudrakote Elephant Corridor in Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala. A number of human settlements are present here adding to the pressure in addition to roads like these. This road leads to the famous Thirunelli Temple which is a very popular tourism destination.

Several Indian and International wildlife NGOs and charities are working with the government to secure the 42-mile Thirunelli-Kudrakote corridor, a vital funnel route for elephants, … Read More

Need For Elephant Corridors Throughout The Country

-  News Leave a Comment

A report by the Elephant Task Force (ETF) has estimated that roughly 400 people are killed in India every year in conflicts with elephants. Encroachment of elephant habitat by a growing human population creates a situation where elephants frequently raid crops. Retaliatory killings are on the rise and, for instance, in Karnataka alone, 16 elephants were killed in 2006-07, 46 were killed in 2008-9 and 41 were killed in 2009-10. The Karnataka forest department paid 4.2 crores in 2008-9 for … Read More

NCF Recommendation for Elephant Corridors in Valparai Plateau

-  News Leave a Comment

The Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) has submitted a recommendation to the Tamil Nadu Forest Department, titled, “Elephant Corridors in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve”. The report identifies the unique location of the Valparai Plateau in the Anamalai hills, where the gently undulating terrain is suitable for elephants to move from one forest patch to another. The NCF report identifies the Ryan division belonging to the Tamil Nadu Tea Plantation Corporation as a suitable candidate for bringing under the control of Anamalai … Read More

Final Notification Comes Into Effect in Sigur Elephant Corridor in the Nilgiris

-  News Leave a Comment

The final public notification has been issued regarding the proposed elephant corridor in the Sigur plateau of the Nilgiris District. Resort owners and private land owners have to vacate and hand over their land to the Collector immediately. Private land owners will be given adequate compensation and those living on government poramboke lands will be given alternative dwelling sites as per the Forest Dwellers Act, 2006. The proposed corridor falls within Sholur, Masinagudy, Hullathy and Kadanad villages.

The public notice … Read More

Two Elephant Reserves Being Set-up in Tripura

-  News Leave a Comment

Agartala, May 4: In an effort to check the number of elephants straying into human habitats in search of food, the Forest department in Tripura has started work to establish two elephant reserves in the state. “The aim of the project is to restore existing natural habitats and migratory routes of elephants, promotion of measures for mitigation of man-elephant conflict and strengthening of measures for protection of wild pachyderms from poachers,” Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) R P Tangwan … Read More

Battle Looms Over Land For Sigur Elephant Corridor in the Nilgiris

-  News Leave a Comment

The people of Sholur Panchayat (near Mudumalai Tiger Reserve) are furious over a recent High Court order that gave permission to the forest department to acquire their land for an Elephant Corridor. The region is home to tribals such as Kurumbas and Irulas living in Bokkapuram, Moyar, Vazhaithottam and Mavanallah who would be dislocated by the ruling. The ruling came in response to a petition filed by advocate ‘Elephant’ G. Rajendran. Activists on both sides of the picture are making … Read More

Madras HC Gives Go Ahead To Tamil Nadu Government To Notify Elephant Corridor

-  News Leave a Comment

The Madras High Court has declared that the Tamil Government is fully empowered to notify The Elephant Corridor in Nilgiris District. The government is also empowered by the Centre’s Project Elephant. The court order concludes that no fault can be found with the government’s action to declare the corridor, as it has acted towards Article 51-A (g) of the constitution. The GO on the topic dated August 31, 2010 had been questioned by various parties as erroneous and that it … Read More