The document discusses elephant reserves in India. It notes that elephants require large areas and optimal forest conditions to survive. It outlines the goals of Project Elephant, launched in 1992, which are to protect elephants, their habitats, and corridors. Project Elephant aims to ensure the long-term survival of wild elephant populations through various conservation activities like habitat restoration, addressing human-elephant conflict, research, and awareness programs. It also lists the 28 elephant reserves across India where Project Elephant is being implemented.

1. ELEPHANT RESERVES
IN INDIA

2. Introduction
 Elephant ( Elephas maximus ) is the largest
terrestrial mammal of India .
 Elephant being wide ranging animal requires
large areas .
 As per our mythology , elephant took birth from
celestial waters and thus are closely associated
with rains / water because of the belief.
 The requirement of food and water for elephants
are very high and therefore their population can
be supported only by forests that are under
optimal conditions.
 The status of elephant can be the best indicator of
the status of the forests.

3.  Asian elephants were believed to be
widely distributed – from Tigris –
Euphrates in West Asia eastward through
Persia into the Indian sub-continent, South
and Southeast Asia including Sri Lanka,
Java, Sumatra, Borneo and up to North
China.

4.  However currently they are confined to Indian
Subcontinent, South East Asia and some Asian Islands -
Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Malaysia.
 About 60% of the Asian elephant population is in India.
 Old literatures indicate that even during the Moghul
period, elephants were found all over India including
many part of Central India like Marwar, Chanderi,
Satwas, Bijagarh and Panna.
 However current distribution of wild elephant in India is
confined to South India ; North East including North
West Bengal; Central Indian states of Orissa , South WB
and Jharkhand; and North West India in Uttarakahnd and
UP.

5. Project Elephant
 Project Elephant was launched in 1992 by
the Government of India Ministry of Environment and
Forests to provide financial and technical support
of wildlife management efforts by states for their free
ranging populations of wild Asian Elephants.
 The project aims to ensure long-term survival of
viable conservation reliant populations of elephants in
their natural habitats by protecting the elephants, their
habitats and migration corridors.
 Other goals of Project Elephant are supporting
research of the ecology and management of elephants,
creating conservation awareness among local people,
providing improved veterinary care for captive
elephants.

6. Objectives
 Project Elephant (PE) was launched
by the Government of India in the year
1992 as a Centrally Sponsored
Scheme with following objectives:[
 To protect elephants, their habitat &
corridors
 To address issues of man-animal
conflict
 Welfare of captive elephants

7. Activities
 Ecological restoration of existing natural habitats and
migratory routes of elephants;
 Development of scientific and planned management for
conservation of elephant habitats and viable population of
Wild Asiatic elephants in India;
 Promotion of measures for mitigation of man elephant conflict
in crucial habitats and moderating pressures of human and
domestic stock activities in crucial elephant habitats;
 Strengthening of measures for protection of Wild elephants
from poachers and unnatural causes of death;
 Research on Elephant management related issues;
 Public education and awareness programmes;
 Eco-development
 Veterinary care
 Elephant Rehabilitation/Rescue Centers

8. Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants (
MIKE ) Programme
 Mandated by COP resolution of CITES , MIKE program started in
South Asia in the year 2003 with following purpose –
To provide information needed for elephant range States to make
appropriate management and enforcement decisions, and to build
institutional capacity within the range States for the long-term
management of their elephant populations.
 The main objectives of the MIKE are:
 To measure levels and trends in the illegal hunting of elephants;
 To determine changes in these trends over time; and
 To determine the factors causing or associated with such changes, and
to try and assess in particular to what extent observed trends are a result
of any decisions taken by the Conference of the Parties to CITES

9. Mike Sites in India
 Chirang Ripu (Assam )
 Dhang Patki ( Assam )
 Eastern Dooars ( WB )
 Deomali ( Arun Pradesh )
 Garo Hills ( Meghalaya )
 Mayurbhanj ( Orissa )
 Mysore ( Karnataka )
 Nilgiri ( T N )
 Shivalik ( Uttarakhand )
 Wayanad ( Kerala)

10. 1st Meeting of the Parliamentary
Consultative Committee of Member
of Parliament attached to the
Ministry of Environment, Forests
and Climate Change was held at
Bandipur National Park, Karnataka
on 04.01.2015 on the subject
“Project Elephant”.

11. The Project is being mainly implemented
in 16 States / UTs , viz.
• Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh,
• Assam, Chhattisgarh,
• Jharkhand, Karnataka,
• Kerala, Maharashtra,
• Meghalaya, Nagaland, Orissa,
• Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttarakhand,
• Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal.

12. Sl.
No
Elephant Range
Elephant Reserve with date of
notification
State
I
Eastern India
(South West Bengal-
Jharkhand-Orissa)
1. Mayurjharna ER(24.10.02) W. Bengal
2. Singhbhum ER (26.9.01) Jharkhand
3. Mayurbhanj ER (29.9.01)
(MIKE SITE)
Orissa
4. Mahanadi ER (20.7.02) Orissa
5. Sambalpur ER (27.3.02) Orissa
6. Badalkhol-Tamorpingla
(15.9.2011)
Chhattisgarh

13. II
North Brahamputra
(Arunachal – Assam)
7. Kameng ER (19.6.02) Arunachal
8. Sonitpur ER (6.3.03) Assam
III
South Brahamputra
(Assam- Arunachal)
9. Dihing-Patkai ER (MIKE SITE) Assam
10. South Arunachal ER
( 29-2-08 )
Arunachal
IV
Kaziranga
(Assam- Nagaland)
11. Kaziranga – Karbi Anglong ER (17.4.03) Assam
12. Dhansiri-Lungding ER (19.4.03) Assam
13. Intanki ER (28.2.05) Nagaland
V
Eastern Dooars
(Assam- W. Bengal)
14. Chirang-Ripu ER (MIKE SITE) Assam
15. Eastern Dooars ER (MIKE SITE) W. Bengal

14. VI E. Himalayas (Meghalaya)
16. Garo Hills
ER (MIKE SITE)
Meghalaya
VII
Nilgiri –Eastern Ghat
(Karnataka- Kerala-
Tamilnadu-Andhra)
17. Mysore
ER (MIKE SITE)
Karnataka,
18. Wayanad
ER (MIKE SITE)
Kerala
19. Nilgiri
ER (MIKE SITE)
Tamil nadu
20. Rayala ER
(9.12.03)
Andhra
VIII
South Nilgiri
(Kerala- Tamilnadu)
21. Nilambur ER
(2.4.02)
Kerala
22. Coimbatore ER
(19.9.03)
Tamilnadu

15. `IX
Western Ghat
(Tamilnadu- Kerala)
23. Anamalai ER
(19.9.03)
Tamilnadu
24. Anamudi ER
(2.4.02)
Kerala
X
Periyar
(Kerala- Tamilnadu)
25. Periyar (2.4.02) Kerala
26. Srivilliputtur
ER(19.9.03)
Tamilnadu
XI
Northern India (Uttaranchal-
U.P.)
27. Shivalik
ER (MIKE SITE)
Uttaranchal
28. Uttar Pradesh
ER
( 9.9.09)
U.P.