This document summarizes a study on human-elephant conflict in Mankanthpur Village in India. The village is located near Corbett National Park and experiences frequent crop raids by elephants. Over a 3 month study period, there were 62 recorded crop raid events by groups of 1 to 3 elephants, damaging a total of 3.53 hectares of crops. The study assessed local attitudes toward elephants and conflict mitigation measures through surveys. People supported compensation for damage and viewed noise-making and driving elephants away as effective deterrents. The underlying human-wildlife conflict impacts local livelihoods and conservation efforts in the critical wildlife corridor.
This presentation was made at the 'Towards a Higher Education of Inclusion, Collaboration and Community Engagement' workshop by D. Narasimhan from the Dept. of Botany, Madras Christian College, Chennai. Professor Narasimhan pointed out that agriculture is the single most impactful shift upon the environment in human history. Settled cultivation wiped out huge swathes of forest and is far more destructive than the much-maligned shifting cultivation, also described as slash-and-burn cultivation. This shift in human practice is integral to cultures and indigenous medicines though. Food has become globalised much before markets ever did - with fruits and vegetables indigenous to locations across the globe become central to Indian cuisine. Sacred groves are praised as examples of culture protecting ecology but are vulnerable to the decisions of hard economics with land needs for agriculture or other purposes shrinking their boundaries. Again, a sacred grove could hold certain species alone as totemic objects while others could be destroyed.
This presentation was made at the 'Towards a Higher Education of Inclusion, Collaboration and Community Engagement' workshop by D. Narasimhan from the Dept. of Botany, Madras Christian College, Chennai. Professor Narasimhan pointed out that agriculture is the single most impactful shift upon the environment in human history. Settled cultivation wiped out huge swathes of forest and is far more destructive than the much-maligned shifting cultivation, also described as slash-and-burn cultivation. This shift in human practice is integral to cultures and indigenous medicines though. Food has become globalised much before markets ever did - with fruits and vegetables indigenous to locations across the globe become central to Indian cuisine. Sacred groves are praised as examples of culture protecting ecology but are vulnerable to the decisions of hard economics with land needs for agriculture or other purposes shrinking their boundaries. Again, a sacred grove could hold certain species alone as totemic objects while others could be destroyed.
An Emergent Carapa oreophila Products Value Chain – A Case Study of The Kilum...AI Publications
This study focused on the tradable products of Carapaoreophilaand employs ethnobotanic quantitative methods. Semi-structured ethnobotanical questionnaires were conducted to collect information on general knowledge of Carapa oreophila, characteristics of informants; plant parts exploited as well as gathering; processing and storage methods. The reasons for use: market value, points of sales, means of transport, trade channels, constraints and their opinion on resource availability. Ethnobotanic method and descriptive statistic were employed to measure the effect of product exploitation. This paper exposes three traded Carapaoreophilaproducts with high market value. Fuel wood and leave-rodent chain had high market value and high turnovers while wood craft goods, hoe and axe handles had high turnovers but low market value. Leave harvesters are also fuelwood suppliers. The incomes earned by harvesters of the Carapa products are used to meet their domestic demand for money or liquidity preference. Unfortunately, harvest methods and techniques are unhealthy and do not contribute to secure the forest resource. Given its multipurpose uses, we recommend the promotion and enhancement of Carapa oreophila through its domestication and seed oil production to provide significant socio-economic benefits to the local people. To this end, it is necessary to implement strategies to support local communities to actively participate in the conservation and sustainable use of the species as part of the preservation of plant biodiversity.
Remodeling a Manually Operated Bio Briquetting Machine for Bio Briquetting of...Premier Publishers
Briquetting of organic waste like wheat straw, peanut shell, coconut fibers, rice husk, maize cob and various other agricultural residues is a common practice in India and abroad. Generally briquetting process is done by application of heat and pressure through electrically driven machines. This paper accounts for developing a bio briquetting machine in horizontal orientation and a comparative study between two models of manually driven bio briquetting machine for a harmful forest bio residue of Western Himalayas named as dry and fallen pine needles. One of the authors of this paper has successfully designed and manufactured these two types of manually driven forest bio residue briquetting machine in vertical and horizontal orientation. These machines are designed to reduce the use of fossil fuels and promote clean and green energy. The uniqueness of the paper is also reflected by adopting grass not level execution strategy for addressing climate change issue and creating livelihood opportunities for the communities through converting a harmful forest bio residue into a useful resource for clean energy under social entrepreneurship skills. It is further added that such an intervention will avoid devastating forest fires which are primarily initiated by huge quantity of dry and fallen pine needles lying on the forest floors. A manually operated bio briquetting machine finds its larger acceptability for a eco fragile, fire prone, chir pine forest areas of Western Himalayas by eliminating fire hazards as well as providing direct economic benefits to the villages through the sale of bio briquettes.
Conservation of biodiversity acts and laws......Kavithasagar
LAWS & ACTS OF CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY IN INDIA WILL BE USEFUL FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS OF BIOLOGY , ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, GEOGRPAHY, BIOPIRACY DISCIPLINES ETC .
Understanding of the area under forest is necessary while studying the geography of India. Hence, in this module, the following aspects are highlighted:
1. forest area in India
2. forest areas classified
3. distribution of forest areas
4. state-wise forest areas
5. mangrove and tree cover.
A Future for Social Forestry in the Indonesia and ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)CIFOR-ICRAF
This presentation by Wiratno, Director of Social Forestry Development and chairperson of the ASFN Secretariat given during the Forests Asia Summit in the Discussion Forum "Social Forestry and Sustainable Value Chains for a Green Community in ASEAN" focuses on social forestry as a solution to forestry problems in Indonesia.
The IOSR Journal of Pharmacy (IOSRPHR) is an open access online & offline peer reviewed international journal, which publishes innovative research papers, reviews, mini-reviews, short communications and notes dealing with Pharmaceutical Sciences( Pharmaceutical Technology, Pharmaceutics, Biopharmaceutics, Pharmacokinetics, Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry, Computational Chemistry and Molecular Drug Design, Pharmacognosy & Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, Pharmaceutical Analysis, Pharmacy Practice, Clinical and Hospital Pharmacy, Cell Biology, Genomics and Proteomics, Pharmacogenomics, Bioinformatics and Biotechnology of Pharmaceutical Interest........more details on Aim & Scope).
All manuscripts are subject to rapid peer review. Those of high quality (not previously published and not under consideration for publication in another journal) will be published without delay.
This Journal publishes original research work that contributes significantly to further the scientific knowledge in pharmacy.
Central African Republic (CAR) Humanitarian and Development Situation (Photos)hdptcar
Photos of the humanitarian and development situation in the Central African Republic. Since late 2006, almost one million people have been affected by violence and 290,000 people were forced to flee their homes. All photos by Pierre Holtz.
An Emergent Carapa oreophila Products Value Chain – A Case Study of The Kilum...AI Publications
This study focused on the tradable products of Carapaoreophilaand employs ethnobotanic quantitative methods. Semi-structured ethnobotanical questionnaires were conducted to collect information on general knowledge of Carapa oreophila, characteristics of informants; plant parts exploited as well as gathering; processing and storage methods. The reasons for use: market value, points of sales, means of transport, trade channels, constraints and their opinion on resource availability. Ethnobotanic method and descriptive statistic were employed to measure the effect of product exploitation. This paper exposes three traded Carapaoreophilaproducts with high market value. Fuel wood and leave-rodent chain had high market value and high turnovers while wood craft goods, hoe and axe handles had high turnovers but low market value. Leave harvesters are also fuelwood suppliers. The incomes earned by harvesters of the Carapa products are used to meet their domestic demand for money or liquidity preference. Unfortunately, harvest methods and techniques are unhealthy and do not contribute to secure the forest resource. Given its multipurpose uses, we recommend the promotion and enhancement of Carapa oreophila through its domestication and seed oil production to provide significant socio-economic benefits to the local people. To this end, it is necessary to implement strategies to support local communities to actively participate in the conservation and sustainable use of the species as part of the preservation of plant biodiversity.
Remodeling a Manually Operated Bio Briquetting Machine for Bio Briquetting of...Premier Publishers
Briquetting of organic waste like wheat straw, peanut shell, coconut fibers, rice husk, maize cob and various other agricultural residues is a common practice in India and abroad. Generally briquetting process is done by application of heat and pressure through electrically driven machines. This paper accounts for developing a bio briquetting machine in horizontal orientation and a comparative study between two models of manually driven bio briquetting machine for a harmful forest bio residue of Western Himalayas named as dry and fallen pine needles. One of the authors of this paper has successfully designed and manufactured these two types of manually driven forest bio residue briquetting machine in vertical and horizontal orientation. These machines are designed to reduce the use of fossil fuels and promote clean and green energy. The uniqueness of the paper is also reflected by adopting grass not level execution strategy for addressing climate change issue and creating livelihood opportunities for the communities through converting a harmful forest bio residue into a useful resource for clean energy under social entrepreneurship skills. It is further added that such an intervention will avoid devastating forest fires which are primarily initiated by huge quantity of dry and fallen pine needles lying on the forest floors. A manually operated bio briquetting machine finds its larger acceptability for a eco fragile, fire prone, chir pine forest areas of Western Himalayas by eliminating fire hazards as well as providing direct economic benefits to the villages through the sale of bio briquettes.
Conservation of biodiversity acts and laws......Kavithasagar
LAWS & ACTS OF CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY IN INDIA WILL BE USEFUL FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS OF BIOLOGY , ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, GEOGRPAHY, BIOPIRACY DISCIPLINES ETC .
Understanding of the area under forest is necessary while studying the geography of India. Hence, in this module, the following aspects are highlighted:
1. forest area in India
2. forest areas classified
3. distribution of forest areas
4. state-wise forest areas
5. mangrove and tree cover.
A Future for Social Forestry in the Indonesia and ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)CIFOR-ICRAF
This presentation by Wiratno, Director of Social Forestry Development and chairperson of the ASFN Secretariat given during the Forests Asia Summit in the Discussion Forum "Social Forestry and Sustainable Value Chains for a Green Community in ASEAN" focuses on social forestry as a solution to forestry problems in Indonesia.
The IOSR Journal of Pharmacy (IOSRPHR) is an open access online & offline peer reviewed international journal, which publishes innovative research papers, reviews, mini-reviews, short communications and notes dealing with Pharmaceutical Sciences( Pharmaceutical Technology, Pharmaceutics, Biopharmaceutics, Pharmacokinetics, Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry, Computational Chemistry and Molecular Drug Design, Pharmacognosy & Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, Pharmaceutical Analysis, Pharmacy Practice, Clinical and Hospital Pharmacy, Cell Biology, Genomics and Proteomics, Pharmacogenomics, Bioinformatics and Biotechnology of Pharmaceutical Interest........more details on Aim & Scope).
All manuscripts are subject to rapid peer review. Those of high quality (not previously published and not under consideration for publication in another journal) will be published without delay.
This Journal publishes original research work that contributes significantly to further the scientific knowledge in pharmacy.
Central African Republic (CAR) Humanitarian and Development Situation (Photos)hdptcar
Photos of the humanitarian and development situation in the Central African Republic. Since late 2006, almost one million people have been affected by violence and 290,000 people were forced to flee their homes. All photos by Pierre Holtz.
These are the motion, context and information slides for the Kuching Debate League 2016.
Date: 14th January
If you have any questions on the slides, feel free to forward
Hoy en día la herramienta principal de comunicación entre los padres es WhatsApp. ¿Pero es WhatsApp una herramienta ideada para ese fin? La mayoría de padres, profesores o entrenadores se quejan de las molestias sufridas al pertenecer a estos grupos:
- Se escriben multitud de mensajes y de cualquier tipo
- Lo importante pasa desapercibido
- Se escribe a todas horas
- Es difícil saber quién es quién
¿Qué es qids?
Es una app que facilita la comunicación en los grupos de padres.
¿Por qué usar qids?
- Información importante: se puede publicar mensajes destacados en un muro dedicado para que los padres no se los pierdan
- Nº de teléfono privado: no se comparten los números entre miembros
- ¡Por fin se sabe quién es quién! Cada padre aparece con su nombre y foto asociado a su hijo
- Notificaciones personalizables: elige que tipo de mensajes quieres recibir y en qué horarios
- App gratis: para todos y siempre lo será
- Privado y seguro: se accede a los grupos mediante invitación privada
The beauty of humans is that in their finite lives they have infinite opportunities to make a difference to people and planet. With this thought in mind , a special calendar to promote SDG 15 – Life on Land has been developed by UN GCNI - CEGET and CLAW
Hey friends,
This is from the chapter "Wildlife and resources". This chapter is from the geograpghy text book of CBSE. This is From the 10th standard syllabus.
Thank you.
IN THIS POWERPOINT YOU SEE MANY SLIDE AND EVERY SLIDE HAVE EDITED WITH HD PHOTOS OF WILDLIFE AND FOREST.INFORMATION WITH EFFECTS ARE ADDED AS MY HOBBY.
PLEASE WATCH AFTER CONCLUSION.
Face lift for Chambal: Biodiversity as a Tourism ProductAnil G
WHITE PAPER
The name of Chambal is synonymous for dacoits in India. Notorious criminals have been identified with this place including Man Singh, Daku Madho Singh, Dhanraj singh Rathur, Paan Singh Tomar, Phoolan Devi and Nirbhay Gujjar. This is for a reason, for centuries the Chambal ravine in Dholpur harbored dacoits (bandits).
Some case studies were even made into movies: Paan Singh Tomar & Poolan Devi, the bandit queen etc.
Though this place is around 75 kilometers from the world's seven wonders - TAJ MAHAL, tourists are a scared of visiting this place! Yearly foot fall at this place is close to 4000 tourists which is too low compared to Taj Mahal.
Here we stress the need for repositioning the brand Chambal as a Biodiversity destination for the world to visit with tourist attractions like:
1. Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) - Critically endangered
2. Red-crowned roof turtle and - Critically endangered
3. Ganges river dolphin - Endangered
4. It’s the place for locating largest number of Indian Skimmers
5. Other threatened species are:
- Muggar crocodile
- Smooth-coated Otter
- Striped Hyaena and
- Indian Wolf
- 8 of the 26 rare turtle species found in India are in Chambal
- An important bird area (IBA) and is a proposed Ramsar site
- At least 320 species of resident and migratory birds inhabit the sanctuary
Embarking on a tiger safari in India is a journey into the heart of the wild, where the mystical allure of the majestic Bengal tiger awaits. Unveiling the thrill of such an adventure requires a comprehensive guide to ensure that enthusiasts make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
India, boasting a rich biodiversity and diverse landscapes, is home to some of the world's most iconic tiger reserves. The Ultimate Guide to the Best Tiger Safari in India begins with an exploration of these reserves, including the renowned Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan, Bandipur National Park in Karnataka, and Sundarbans National Park in West Bengal. Each destination offers a unique blend of flora and fauna, providing an immersive experience for wildlife enthusiasts.
Delving deeper, the guide navigates through the intricacies of planning the perfect tiger safari. From choosing the right time of the year for optimal tiger sightings to selecting the most reputable safari operators, every detail is meticulously covered. The guide emphasizes the importance of responsible tourism, encouraging visitors to respect the natural habitats of these magnificent creatures.
As the journey unfolds, the guide unveils the secrets of tracking tigers in their natural habitat. Experienced naturalists and expert guides play a pivotal role in deciphering the signs left by these elusive creatures, creating an adrenaline-pumping experience for safari-goers. The thrill of spotting a Bengal tiger in the wild is heightened by understanding their behavior, habitat, and the conservation efforts aimed at preserving their dwindling numbers.
To add a cultural dimension to the adventure, the guide explores the local customs, cuisine, and traditions of the regions surrounding these tiger reserves. Immerse yourself in the vibrant tapestry of India, discovering not only its wildlife but also the rich heritage that intertwines seamlessly with nature.
In conclusion, the Ultimate Guide to the Best Tiger Safari in India promises an unparalleled adventure for those seeking the raw beauty of the wild and the awe-inspiring presence of the Bengal tiger. It serves as a compass for both novice and seasoned safari-goers, ensuring an unforgettable journey into the heart of India's tiger country.
Dynamics of Human-Sloth Bear Conflict in Kanha-Pench CorridorAniruddha
A report on the study of the patterns and factors associated with human-sloth bear conflict, the quality of sloth bear habitat, and recommendations on reducing encounters in the Kanha-Pench Corridor area in Madhya Pradesh (India).
2. Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 February 2015 | 7(2): 6843–6852
Human-elephant conflict in the Terai Jasmine et al.
6844
INTRODUCTION
The Terai Arc Landscape (TAL) is defined as the area
confined between the river Bagmati in the east and
the river Yamuna in the west, all along the Shiwalik
Hills in India and Churia Hills in Nepal. It comprises the
Himalayan foothills, the Terai floodplains, and Bhabhar
tracts. Stretching for over 1500km, TAL straddles two
countries, India and Nepal, and includes 14 protected
areas (PAs) (WWF India 2007). The TAL includes high
density tiger areas and is a priority landscape for the
WWF Elephant Action Strategy. TAL in India covers an
area of approximately 30,000km2
across Uttarakhand,
UttarPradeshandBihar. TheTerairegionofUttarakhand
consists of two important national parks of India, namely
Rajaji National Park (820km2
) and Corbett National
Park (520km2
). Rajaji National Park is situated towards
the extreme west, and Corbett forms the heart of the
Landscape (Semwal 2005). Key species, like the Asian
Elephant Elephas maximus and Tiger Panthera tigris,
are the most endangered species in the landscape. The
future of these species lies in the sustainability of these
two national parks and connectivity of various corridors
in the state of Uttarakhand (Menon 2003; WWF India
2008).
The fertile landscape supports a large human
population compared to the Gangetic plains and has
a high settlement in search of food and employment
(Johnsingh et al. 2004). Unemployment and low
productivity has pushed people from the hills to the
Terai and Bhabhar. The dependency of local residents
on fuel wood, fodder, non-timber forest products
(NTFP), and grazing needs, as well as deforestation and
unplanned developments are some of the threats to
wildlife movement in the landscape (WWF India 2008).
On the east of Corbett National Park are the Ramnagar
and Terai West Forest divisions. These divisions are
important because they serve as the linkage corridors
for the movement of wild animals from Corbett Tiger
Reserve to far east in other divisions of the Terai
Landscape. The Corbett National Park, with an area of
502km2
, is a part of Corbett Tiger Reserve which is 1288m
including the Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary. The animals,
while moving through this corridor, pass by villages in
the critical Bailparao-Kotabagh Corridor, resulting in
high human-wildlife conflict (Kandpal & Tiwari 2009).
The Asian Elephant occurs in the central and
southern Western Ghats, northeastern India, eastern
India, northern India, as well as some parts of southern
peninsular India. It is included in the Schedule I of the
Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and in Appendix I
of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES). Elephants occur
in 16 of 29 states in India (MoEF&CC 2014). In 1992,
the Government of India launched Project Elephant, a
flagship conservation project that aims to conserve the
elephant and its habitat across 10 major landscapes
(designated as Project Elephant Ranges), to mitigate
elephant-human conflict, and protect the animal from
being poached for ivory. The Indian elephant population
in 2012 was estimated to be in the range between 27,785
and 31,368 (MoEF&CC 2014). Being a Schedule I species,
the Asian Elephant requires immediate protection
for its dwindling populations (MoEF&CC 2014). As a
high profile and charismatic species, it has important
ecological and cultural associations as well. A key
conservation problem today remains the exploitation of
elephant habitat leading to qualitative degradation and
fragmentation throughout its range (MoEF&CC 2014).
However, wherever they occur, elephants are known
to explore newer areas and extend their range. Several
explanations have been suggested (Kangwana 1995).
Local overabundance of animals, habitat loss, shortage
of food and water resources, or simply a natural
instinct are some of the possible causes for elephants
to make forays into new areas (Sukumar 1989). Thus,
managing such forest corridors in TAL will provide trans-
boundary dispersal corridors and migration paths for
elephants and many other species, which are crucial for
maintaining biological diversity and gene flow.
Despite being endowed with a rich assemblage
of wildlife species, TAL faces serious conservation
challenges. On the one hand, tiger, elephant, and other
species of the region are threatened; on the other hand
local communities that directly depend on the region’s
natural resources are also affected. Conservation
objectives in this highly populated zone therefore
need to be reinforced by creating opportunities for the
local communities, thereby reducing human-elephant
conflict while allowing sustainable use of and access to
natural resources. It is for this reason that an attitude
assessment of the Human Elephant Conflict (HEC) was
carried out at Mankanthpur Village, one of the most
critical villages in the corridor, as it is flanked by forest
on three sides and also acts as a bottleneck in the Terai
West Forest Division. The corridor provides passage to
a large number of mammals from Corbett National Park
to the far east in the landscape. The increasing HEC in
the corridor has become one of the main challenges for
elephant conservation. Hence the conflict problem is
a cause for concern, and understanding the ecological
and socio-economic context of the HEC is a prerequisite
3. Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 February 2015 | 7(2): 6843–6852
4. Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 February 2015 | 7(2): 6843–6852
Human-elephant conflict in the Terai Jasmine et al.
6846
to the proximity of their agricultural fields to the park
border, and the village’s location within a traditional
elephant migration route. There are about 22 villages in
the Bailparao-Kotabagh corridor, and all these villages
along the corridor face some form of human-wildlife
interaction; Mankanthpur Village is one of these villages
(Kandpal & Tiwari 2009).
METHODS
An assessment of HEC in the study area was done
due to high elephant incursion into the village. The
survey was done in February–April, 2010. The study
involved primary data collection in the village through
a household survey. For the conflict survey, a door-
to-door approach was used with the help of a native-
speaking field assistant. The survey was done using a
standardized questionnaire, which had open ended
and closed questions, and included both quantitative
and qualitative questions. Questions that were asked
through the questionnaire survey included: frequency
and severity of damage by elephants; typese and age of
crops damaged; number and sex of elephants involved;
attitude of the affected people; the number of damage
events or elephant incidents reported by the villagers.
Around 120 structured interviews were conducted in
the village on an alternating basis, with one adult male
or female member from every willing household invited
to participate in the survey. Interviews were conducted
in Hindi and Kumauni, and later were translated by the
native speaking field assistant who assisted with the
interviews. The interview was face to face. Valuation
based questions were followed up to determine people’s
perception for different use and non use values related
to elephant conservation (Bann 1999). The villagers
were made aware of the survey and of the interest in
collecting information about crop damage. During the
study period the villagers were asked to inform our
team about any crop damage incurred in the village,
so that we could try to visit the area to inspect the
damage and complete the questionnaire. Daily records
were maintained regarding the sex of the elephants
sighted, type of crop damage by the elephants and age
of crops (mature crop or intermediate growth), degree
of damage (high, medium, or low), compensation filed,
etc. Informants reported that they sometimes did not
record an elephant sighting if one or more elephants
just ”passed through” the village fields without causing
damage. To analyze local communities’ perception
and attitudes towards wild elephant-related problems,
we compared interviewees’ views including causes of
elephant-related problems, measures to mitigate HEC,
and attitudes towards conservation. The results were
expressed in the form of pie charts and graphs. Based
on the study, recommendations were proposed for the
same.
RESULTS AND ANALYSES
Mankanthpur Village is typical of communities
composed of households who practice a combination
of subsistence agriculture and limited cash income
generating strategies. The local community utilizes
forest biomass such as fuel wood, fodder, and green
leaves. Agriculture is the mainstay of the villagers,
where more than 85% of the total population is engaged
either with agriculture or its allied practices. Among
the principal crops grown in the village are rice (Oryza
sativa), wheat (Triticum aestivum), millet (Pennisetum
glaucum), barley (Hordeum vulgare), pulses, and oil
seeds. The ratio of pulses and oil seeds is comparatively
low. Wheat occupies the highest percent (30.04%) in
the total sown area, followed by rice (29%), and pulses
(15.93%). The cultivation of vegetables has been
extending and now accounts for 9.16% of the cropped
area of the village. According to the data collected, in
the months of March and April, the work of threshing,
winnowing, and storing for use or selling in the market
takes place. Crops such as beans, wheat, gram or Jowar
are grown optionally in land holdings. The villagers
mostly own the land they cultivate, but the size of
these land holdings is very small and uneconomical to
cultivate. Villagers generally cultivate their own land;
some who are not able to manage on their own give out
land for share cropping and tending.
Elephant group size and frequency of crop raids
During the three months of the study period, 98
elephants were recorded near the crop fields in the
village, and a total of 62 crop raids occurred from
February to April, 2010 (Fig. 2, Image 1). A mean
sighting of 1.08 elephants per day was recorded in the
study area. Mean elephant group size was 1.58, and
mean elephant crop raiding events (events/days) was
0.68. In 62 crop raiding events, a total of 98 elephants
was observed. Of these, 52 had tusks (males, 53.06%),
28 were females (28.57%), and 18.37% were single
individuals which could not be identified by the villagers
as either being male or female.
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6. Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 February 2015 | 7(2): 6843–68526848
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Human-elephant conflict in the Terai Jasmine et al.
6849
When asked why they liked elephants, respondents said
they felt that elephant sightings bring revenue and jobs
through ecotourism (38.23%, n=26), elephants have
an ecological value, their presence indicates a healthy
ecosystem (11.76%, n=8), they are endangered and
their number is decreasing (8.82%, n=12), and, for some
respondents, elephants have a religious value in Hindu
culture as a symbol of Lord Ganesha (41.17%, n=28)
(Table 1) (Images 3,4).
Out of 120 interviewees, 52 respondents did not like
elephants. The majority of them (69.16%) attributed
this dislike to crop raids by elephants, 12% attributed it
to property damage, and 19% said because elephants
attack humans they did not like them. Twelve percent
(12%) of the respondents want the elephants in
community forests, 35% want them in zoos, 43.33%
want them in reserve forests, and only 10% of the total
respondents want to see them in their present habitat.
To examine the tolerance, respondents were asked
three hypothetical questions with responses indicating
whether they agreed, disagreed, or were indifferent in
supporting elephant conservation if their crops were
destroyed or their property was damaged. About 52.5%
of respondents were not in agreement with supporting
elephant conservation if their field was destroyed or
property was damaged, 35% agreed that conservation
was important, and 12.5% were neutral or indifferent.
Perception of effectiveness towards compensation
schemes
A total of 62 crop raids occurred from February-April,
2010; complaints were filed for only 29 cases. Out of 120
households, about 47.5% (n=57) were directly affected
by HEC, and 40.35% (n=23) complained that they had
never received payments after submitting an application
for compensation, nor did they receive an explanation.
In general the villagers believed that the reason for
the delay in resolving complaints was mismanagement
within the system, which in turn prevented them
from filing for compensation (Table 2). In this village,
characteristic landholdings are small with 73.33% of the
respondents practicing subsistence farming. Ultimately,
none of the respondents whose household had sought
a compensation claim expressed satisfaction with the
process, and described their experiences in negative
terms. Responses were marked by disappointment,
regret, and frustration, e.g., as also described in Orga &
Badola (2008). In spite of the shortcomings described
above, when respondents were asked: ‘‘Do you think
that compensation can be an effective way to reduce
villagers’ suffering due to conflict with wildlife?” 89%
of respondents said yes. However, most qualified their
responsetopointoutthatcompensationwouldonlyhelp
them if the current scheme was reformed to address the
problems they had described in their interviews. The
majority of respondents pointed out that receiving the
market price for the trampled crop would be a solution
towards resolving conflict.
Table 1. Attitudes of local communities towards conservation of
wild elephants (n=100)
Attitudes Reason
Number of
interviewees
Percentage
(%)
Positive attitude:
Support,
participate in
conservation
Like presence of
elephant around
them
68 43
Ecosystem value 8 12
Endangered 38 9
Religious 28 41
Tourism 26 38.23
Negative attitude
towards elephant
presence
Do not like the
elephant presence
around them
52 57
Negative attitude
among villagers
towards elephant
due to:
Attack on humans 19 19
Crop raid 69 69
Property damage 12 12
Table 2. Attitudes of local communities towards compensation
schemesforHuman Elephant Conflict (n=100)
Attitudes Percentage (%)
Agree Disagree Don’t know
Crop-raiding affects the
amount of food consumed in
their household
53 28 19
Not a
problem
Sometime Frequently
Frequency of attack of
villagers by wildlife
21 16 45
Yes No
Have applied for
compensation for crop loss
53 47
Can compensation be an
effective way to reduce
villagers’ suffering due to
HEC?
61 39
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Human-elephant conflict in the Terai Jasmine et al.
6852
Author Details: Biba Jasmine is a Fulbright-Nehru Master’s Scholar
at the University of Maryland, College Park, doing Sustainable
Development and Conservation Biology. She has previously worked
with the Wildlife Institute of India, on the preparation of the 5th
National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity. She also
has an experience of working with various organizations. She is into
writing semi-scientific articles for various conservation/environment
based magazines. Dipankar Ghose carries out species conservation
work on 10 landscapes across the length and breadth of the country.
He has in past coordinated the Eastern Himalaya Biodiversity
Conservation programme of WWF India (1999–2001). Sanjay Keshari
Das is Assistant Professor. He is actively engaged with research work
on animal biosystematics and conservation in the Indian subcontinent.
Author Contribution: BJ collected the primary data, did data analysis
and produced a project report that was submitted to the WWF-India
as her dissertation thesis. DG was her dissertation external guide at
the WWF-India, who helped her build this study from scratch; and also
helped her in writing of the manuscript and reviewing it from time
to time. SKD was the GGS IP University internal advisor for the study
conducted. He helped the author with collating the information for
the Literature review; and also helped her in framing questionnaire for
carrying out the research.
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