Research shows significant loss of Asian elephant habitats in Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve and Bhadra Tiger Reserve between 1960s and early 2000s, linking deforestation to increased human-elephant conflicts.
Coimbatore: A recent study published in Tropical Conservation Science has revealed that approximately 15% of Asian elephants' former habitats in and around the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve (NBR) and the Bhadra Tiger Reserve have been lost to agriculture and changing land-use patterns between the 1960s and early 2000s.
The research paper, titled 'Deforestation Increases Frequency of Incidents of Elephants (Elephas maximus)', authored by Jean-Philippe Puyravaud, Sanjay Gubbi, H.C. Poornesha, and Priya Davidar, assessed deforestation in these areas between 1960 and 2004. The study also compared these findings with 624 incidents of negative human-elephant interactions recorded between 2008 and 2011.
The study found that a total of 6,761 square kilometres of elephant habitats have been destroyed, including 4,023 square kilometres of forests and 2,738 square kilometres of scrub. Concurrently, agricultural areas in the region increased by 7,123 square kilometres, primarily in non-protected areas.
Alarmingly, the research indicated a strong correlation between deforestation and human-elephant conflicts. Of the 624 recorded incidents, including crop-raiding and elephant attacks, a significant number occurred in or near areas where deforestation was most severe.
The annual rate of deforestation between 1960 and 2004 was found to be 0.85% per year. This extensive habitat loss has led to the severance of corridors connecting tiger reserves in the NBR with those in Kodagu and Nagarhole districts of Karnataka.
Mr. Puyravaud, one of the study's authors, highlighted that only a narrow corridor remains for wildlife movement between the NBR and the Bhadra Tiger Reserve. He emphasized that the existing corridors are narrow and pass through regions with high human density, potentially leading to more negative interactions with people in surrounding areas.
The study suggests that the transformation of landscapes for intensive agriculture has contributed to these conflicts, leaving isolated elephant populations struggling to adapt. Despite existing legislation to preserve tree cover, such as the Indian Forest Act, 1927, and the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, the landscape connectivity for Asian elephants and Bengal tigers has been significantly disrupted.
The authors stress the urgent need for immediate action to salvage remaining habitats and evaluate the cost of maintaining essential ecological functions outside protected areas. They also noted a decrease in negative interactions in areas further from protected zones, suggesting that regions within four kilometres of protected areas require particular attention.
The research concludes that changes in land use are a primary factor in provoking these incidents, potentially exposing both human and elephant populations to increased risks. The authors attribute this to both elephant dispersal from protected areas and the animals' attachment to their shrinking habitats.
The research paper, titled 'Deforestation Increases Frequency of Incidents of Elephants (Elephas maximus)', authored by Jean-Philippe Puyravaud, Sanjay Gubbi, H.C. Poornesha, and Priya Davidar, assessed deforestation in these areas between 1960 and 2004. The study also compared these findings with 624 incidents of negative human-elephant interactions recorded between 2008 and 2011.
The study found that a total of 6,761 square kilometres of elephant habitats have been destroyed, including 4,023 square kilometres of forests and 2,738 square kilometres of scrub. Concurrently, agricultural areas in the region increased by 7,123 square kilometres, primarily in non-protected areas.
Alarmingly, the research indicated a strong correlation between deforestation and human-elephant conflicts. Of the 624 recorded incidents, including crop-raiding and elephant attacks, a significant number occurred in or near areas where deforestation was most severe.
The annual rate of deforestation between 1960 and 2004 was found to be 0.85% per year. This extensive habitat loss has led to the severance of corridors connecting tiger reserves in the NBR with those in Kodagu and Nagarhole districts of Karnataka.
Mr. Puyravaud, one of the study's authors, highlighted that only a narrow corridor remains for wildlife movement between the NBR and the Bhadra Tiger Reserve. He emphasized that the existing corridors are narrow and pass through regions with high human density, potentially leading to more negative interactions with people in surrounding areas.
The study suggests that the transformation of landscapes for intensive agriculture has contributed to these conflicts, leaving isolated elephant populations struggling to adapt. Despite existing legislation to preserve tree cover, such as the Indian Forest Act, 1927, and the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, the landscape connectivity for Asian elephants and Bengal tigers has been significantly disrupted.
The authors stress the urgent need for immediate action to salvage remaining habitats and evaluate the cost of maintaining essential ecological functions outside protected areas. They also noted a decrease in negative interactions in areas further from protected zones, suggesting that regions within four kilometres of protected areas require particular attention.
The research concludes that changes in land use are a primary factor in provoking these incidents, potentially exposing both human and elephant populations to increased risks. The authors attribute this to both elephant dispersal from protected areas and the animals' attachment to their shrinking habitats.