Project Elephant
Project Elephant (PE) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme launched in February 1992 by the Government of India. The primary objective of the scheme is to provide financial and technical support to major elephant-bearing states for the protection of elephants, their natural habitats, and migration corridors. Additionally, the project aims to address critical concerns such as human-elephant conflict and the welfare of domesticated elephants.
- Project Elephant is currently being implemented in 13 States/Union Territories, namely Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
Objectives
Project Elephant was launched to fulfill the following primary objectives:
- Conservation and protection of elephants, their natural habitats, and migration corridors.
- To resolve man-animal conflicts, particularly in regions with high elephant-human interactions.
- To ensure the welfare of domesticated elephants, including care, health, and management.
Aims
The broader aims of Project Elephant include:
- Ecological restoration of natural habitats and migratory routes used by elephants.
- Mitigation of increasing human-elephant conflicts by reducing pressure from human and livestock activities in elephant habitats.
- Developing scientific and planned conservation strategies for long-term protection of elephants.
- Preventing poaching and unnatural deaths, and curbing illegal ivory trade, which poses a major threat to elephants.
- Conducting research on elephant-related ecological and social issues.
- Enhancing public awareness and education on elephant conservation.
- Promoting eco-development activities in elephant habitats.
- Ensuring veterinary care, health, and breeding support for tamed elephants.
Threats to Elephant Corridors in India
One of the most significant threats to elephant corridors is habitat loss, primarily due to fragmentation and destruction caused by developmental activities such as construction of buildings, roads, railways, holiday resorts, and the installation of solar-powered electric fences.
- In Central India, coal and iron ore mining have emerged as the two biggest threats to elephant corridors. The states of Odisha, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh, known for their rich mineral reserves, also host some of the highest number of elephant corridors—resulting in intense human-elephant conflicts.
- Another persistent threat is poaching, driven by the high value of elephant ivory. Furthermore, elephants require vast grazing grounds, and most protected areas are not large enough to accommodate their needs. As a result, elephants venture into human-inhabited areas, often damaging crops, and triggering conflict.
Mitigation Measures for Elephant Corridors
To ensure the functionality of corridors and reduce conflicts, the following strategies are adopted:
- Integrating corridors with adjacent Protected Areas, where possible. In other cases, corridors should be declared as Ecologically Sensitive Areas or Conservation Reserves to ensure long-term protection.
- Monitoring elephant movement within corridors is essential during the process of securing them. Depending on need, habitat restoration work must also be carried out.
- Engaging local communities by encouraging voluntary relocation from conflict zones to safer areas not only benefits conservation but also ensures the protection of other wildlife species like tigers, sambars, crocodiles, and birds by preserving contiguous forest ecosystems.
Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) Programme
The MIKE Programme (Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants) was initiated in South Asia in 2003, as mandated by a CITES Conference of Parties (COP) resolution.
Objectives of MIKE
- To monitor levels and trends in illegal hunting of elephants.
- To detect changes in these trends over time.
- To identify causative factors and assess the impact of CITES decisions on these trends.
Implementation Mechanism
- Monthly data collection from designated sites using MIKE patrol forms.
- Submitted to the Sub-Regional Support Office for South Asia, located in Delhi, which assists the Ministry of Environment in program execution.
- The program also focuses on capacity building of protection forces and law enforcement agencies, and supports policy advocacy favorable to elephant conservation.
- Recommended by the Elephant Task Force (ETF), MIKE is part of the broader effort to integrate scientific monitoring with community awareness.