Mitigating human-elephant conflict:

Survey on elephants vital

By Dhaneshi YATAWARA

The Asian elephant, scientifically known as elephas maximus, the largest land mammal of Asia has become the flagship species of our island nation.

The Asian elephant population is distributed in Southeast Asia from India in the west to Borneo in the east. Three subspecies of these giants are recognised in the region ie elephas maximus from Sri Lanka, the Indian elephant elephas maximus indicus from mainland Asia, and elephas maximus sumatranus from the island of Sumatra.

Asian elephants are cramped in 13 countries in the region comparatively to the African elephant where it lives in 57 countries of the subcontinent.

According to an administration report preserved in the Department of Wildlife Conservation the lowest number of elephants were reported in 1956 which states the country had 750,800 elephants. A subsequent estimate in 1987 indicated that the elephant population may have increased to between 3,051 and 3,435. The Department of Wildlife Conservation believes Sri Lanka may be sheltering more than 5,000 elephants, according to the last survey done in 2008. Due to the discouraging environment that existed in the country for the past three decades as a result of the war on terrorism, Wildlife authorities had no opportunity to conduct a proper islandwide survey of elephants.

The crux of the problem is that the animals are facing a great danger especially due to habitat loss and are raiding crops and causing much damage to both man and cultivation. The Asian elephant is listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) which highlights the most endangered among the CITES-listed animals and plants. They are threatened with extinction and CITES prohibits international trade in specimens of these species except when the purpose of the import is not commercial, for instance for scientific research.

Along with plans to properly implement the National Policy for the Conservation and Management of Wild Elephants formulated in 2006, the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) is heading towards the mammoth task of counting and studying all wild elephants roaming the country in order to bring a sustainable solution to the Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC), knowing numbers are crucial.

Objectives

Resolving the HECs in Sri Lanka need to be worked out carefully with much thought given to the survival of the elephants on the one hand and the safety of the people and their crops on the other. The needs of both parties require great attention. The professionals involved in bringing a solution need to know the correct numbers they have to cater to. On the path to proper elephant conservation, a survey and study will be a foundation towards a sustainable solution.

The objectives of the survey are mainly to determine the composition of the population,to find out the proportion of calves, juveniles, sub-adults and adults, to determine the proportion of tuskers, the sex ratio and to the health condition of the animals.

All these would mean a complete change of the approach to wildlife conservation management. It would also signify a requirement in money, material and massive investment of manpower. Sri Lankan and foreign experts on elephant conservation need to pool their knowledge and experience in the task of counting and studying elephants.

"With the country heading towards rapid development, finding solutions to the human-elephant conflict is of paramount importance," said Director General of the DWC Dr. Chandrawansa Pathiraja.

If we are to successfully conserve elephants and mitigate human-elephant conflict it is recommended that the failed approach of restricting elephants only to wildlife protected areas be curtailed. The new approach is based on creating Elephant Conservation Areas and Managed Elephant Ranges which is advocated by the National Policy for the Conservation and Management of Wild Elephants formulated by the government in 2006 and ratified by the Cabinet of Ministers, Dr. Pathiraja said.

Protected areas

Under the proposed structure these elephant conservation areas and managed elephant ranges will mainly comprise DWC protected areas and forest areas belonging to the Forest Department.

A minority of areas will comprise other state land with natural habitats such as archaeological reserves, tanks, rivers and canal reservations, and some private lands.

The habitat conditions created in chena cultivation is optimal for elephants and contain high densities of elephants. Therefore, the policy proposes that parts of elephant conservation areas under chena cultivation be recognised as managed elephant ranges.

The recognition of areas as elephant conservation areas or managed elephant ranges will not have any bearing on land tenure and the ownership of such lands will remain the same as before.

"We believe that the Agrarian Services Department and the Wild Life Conservation Department can work very closely and effectively and bring sustainable solutions to mitigate human-elephant conflict, Dr. Pathiraja said.

Considering past statistics the Wild Life Department has spent more than 50 percent of its working time and allocated budget to mitigate human-elephant conflict. And when analysed it is obvious that this problem exists mainly in agricultural areas. Nearly 70 percent of Sri Lankan's population live in villages and their main livelihood is farming. The human-elephant conflict affects mainly these farming families in the form of human deaths, damages to crops and property.

Calves, tuskers

A leading elephant expert involved in the survey-Professor Charles Saanthiapillai emphasised that particular attention must be given to the recording of calves and tuskers. "By keeping track of the proportion of calves and very old animals in the population, it would be possible to get a clear idea of the growth rate and the death rate in the wild," he said.

Technically, wildlife professionals categorise elephants into nine size classes. The characteristics depend on the healthy build of the animal's body. This would help an observer to identify the health condition of the animals.

Surveys are usually conducted using the sampling method. A smaller area is surveyed, the animals counted, sexed and classified at specific localities where elephants are likely to come. eg water holes. According to wildlife officials the best time for the survey is the peak of the dry season when most of the water holes are dry.

Elephants will look for water holes that are still not dry, which are identifiable. According to the experts from the maximum number of animals recorded, it would be possible to arrive at a minimum population size for the area surveyed.

The survey is solely conducted to tackle elephant conservation and identify problems that crop up with elephants damaging the food crops of the farmers.