A herd of wild elephants in Wokha district. An environmental group called Green-SONS today informed that elephant corridors in the Bagthy Valley of Wokha district have become narrower and more constricting over the years. (Morung File Photo)
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Environmental group calls for more community participation to prevent human-elephant conflicts
DIMAPUR, MARCH 26 (MExN): Environmental group Green-SONS today informed that the elephant corridors in the Bagthy Valley of Wokha district are getting narrower and constricted prompting an increase in the human-elephant conflict.
A press note from the Chairman of Green-SONS, Jess T Murry informed that elephant herds are known to migrate across 350-500 sq kms but increasingly fragmented landscapes are driving the giant mammals more frequently into human dominated areas, giving rise to more human-elephant conflicts.
The group therefore said that maintenance of elephant corridors is of crucial importance. “The more is the fragmentation of the landscape the more is the elephant corridors and the conflicts,” it added.
The group informed that the elephant corridors in Bagthy valley are getting narrower and constricting in many areas as compared to the last 5-6 years back because of agricultural activities, both settled and jhum cultivations, logging, coal mining and construction of agricultural link roads and other similar human activities.
It termed comparative observations regarding the status of the elephant corridors from 2006 to 2019 as worrying as they indicate a “dramatic degradation” of the corridors.
The Green-SONS informed that only 21.8% of corridors are free of human settlements in 2019 as compared to 23.9% in 2006, while 45.5% have 1-3 settlements in 2019 compared to 42% in 2006. In terms of land use, only 12.9% of the corridors are totally under forest cover in 2019 compared to 24% in 2006.
“It is now crucial that the involvement of community in conservation is a paramount importance,” the group asserted.
It recognized that eviction or relocation of villagers is not possible as the Nagas are inherent to the their land holding pattern and to do the same with the elephants is not possible. Therefore, it said that attitude of the people living in Wokha district is crucial for restoration of wild habitats and the corridors. “People avoiding the use of the crucial migratory routes is the only appropriate way to avert human-elephant conflicts,” it added.
The group pointed out that in the last decade, dozens of human lives and many properties have been lost due to human-elephant conflicts and many elephants have also been killed in retaliation.
“Though the government authority may be trying its possible ways and means to contend with the conflicts of human and elephant, it would be a herculean task to achieve the desired goal unless the local communities and NGOs imbibe a participatory approach to tackle the escalating elephant menace,” it concluded.
