Association between people’s attitudes towards human-elephant conflict and their locational,demographic,and socio-economic characteristics in Buxa Tiger Reserve and its adjoining area,India

“Human-elephant conflict(HEC)”,the alarming issue,in present day context has attracted the attention of environmentalists and policy makers.The rising conflict between human beings and wild elephants is common in Buxa Tiger Reserve(BTR)and its adjoining area in West Bengal State,India,making the area volatile.People’s attitudes towards elephant conservation activity are very crucial to get rid of HEC,because people’s proximity with wild elephants’habitat can trigger the occurrence of HEC.The aim of this study is to conduct an in-depth investigation about the association of people’s attitudes towards HEC with their locational,demographic,and socio-economic characteristics in BTR and its adjoining area by using Pearson’s bivariate chi-square test and binary logistic regression analysis.BTR is one of the constituent parts of Eastern Doors Elephant Reserve(EDER).We interviewed 500 respondents to understand their perceptions to HEC and investigated their locational,demographic,and socio-economic characteristics including location of village,gender,age,ethnicity,religion,caste,poverty level,education level,primary occupation,secondary occupation,household type,and source of firewood.The results indicate that respondents who are living in enclave forest villages(EFVs),peripheral forest villages(PFVs),corridor village(CVs),or forest and corridor villages(FCVs),mainly males,at the age of 18–48 years old,engaged with agriculture occupation,and living in kancha and mixed houses,have more likelihood to witness HEC.Besides,respondents who are illiterate or at primary education level are more likely to regard elephant as a main problematic animal around their villages and refuse to participate in elephant conservation activity.For the sake of a sustainable environment for both human beings and wildlife,people’s attitudes towards elephants must be friendly in a more prudent way,so that the two communities can live in harmony.

Inferring Human-elephant Coexistence Based on Characteristics of Human-elephant Interactions in Nangunhe of Yunnan,China

Human-wildlife conflict(HWC)negatively impacts both humans and wildlife.Attitudes of local residents have been critical in promoting wildlife conservation.It is therefore necessary to understand the characteristics of HWC and identify influential factors on attitudes towards conservation to implement conservation strategies efficiently.This research focused on features of human-elephant interactions,while attitudes and values regarding the small population of Asian elephants(Elephas maximus)in Nangunhe National Nature Reserve(NNR),Yunnan,China.The total of 327 valid questionnaires were gathered around the area where Asian elephants were distributed.Logistic regression models were employed to analyze the correlations among five predictor variables(‘Area’,‘Family size’,‘Annual income’,‘Quantity of family members in non-primary industries’and‘Experiencing loss or not’)and three response variables(‘Attitude towards elephants’,‘Perception of the values of elephants’and‘Attitude towards tourism development’).The study area was densely forested with tea plants,rubber trees,corns and sugarcane.There,25.99%of respondents reported the experience of human-elephant conflict(HEC),with crop raiding and cash crop damages being the major conflict types.To demonstrate respect for elephants and to mitigate HEC,a unique custom called‘Giving tribute to elephants’was developed long ago.Respondents’township with an official annual festival of‘Giving Tribute to Elephants’(odds ratio(OR)=2.75,P=1.73×10^(-6))and higher annual income(OR=2.09,P=5.45×10^(-5))significantly contributed to forming a more positive attitude towards elephants,whereas HEC itself have contributed to a more negative attitude(OR=0.50,P=3.29×10^(-3)).Therefore,we propose that:1)reducing human-elephant conflict by testing multiple mitigation measures and adopting the most effective one of them;2)enhancing local livelihoods through the development of ecological products and ecotourism;and 3)preserving and developing the Wa culture in this region.The study area deserves more attention and further research to explore and obtain endorsement from the public to achieve coexistence between human and wildlife.

Indexing habitat suitability and human-elephant conflicts using GIS-MCDA in a human-dominated landscape

Concerns for biodiversity loss, wildlife conservation, and habitat destruction have dominated the policy agenda worldwide for decades. Unsustainable human-induced development and negative interaction between humans and wildlife have emerged as predominant issues globally. The present study deals with human and elephant conflicts (HEC) in the Polpitigama Divisional Secretariat, Sri Lanka, which is located in the Kahalla-Pallekele elephant corridor and connects Wilpattu and Kaudulla wildlife sanctuaries. The research objectives are identifying spatial patterns of elephant habitat suitability and probable risk zones for HEC. The elephant habitat suitability and HEC risk zones were identified on spatial and temporal scales using Geographic Information System integrating Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis. Different factors, including habitat suitability, distance to roads, distance to croplands, distance to forests and protected areas, settlements, and population density, were considered to determine HEC risk zones in the area. Topography, water, and vegetation criteria are considered when determining elephant habitat suitability. The results of the Analytic Hierarchy Process run the spatially explicit model. The results revealed that of the total area, 15.3% is very highly suitable for elephant habitats, while the least suitable areas contribute only 4%. About 33.8% of the area is moderately suitable for elephants. The risk map indicates that 23.7% of the total area is under very high risk for HEC, and the least risk areas only account for 5.4%. About 26.2% of the area falls under the moderate risk zone for HEC. Since the model considered three aspects of HEC, it will help policymakers in wildlife conservation to avoid and minimize the HEC.

Prevalence and Severity of Current Human-Elephant Conflicts in Amboseli Ecosystem, Kenya: Insights from the Field and Key Informants

Few animals elicit such drastically different human emotions, so do elephants. Elephants capture the affection of people but also inspire animosity and fear at the same time. This is because there are conflicts with people over space, critical resources, costs of damages and general insecurity to people. This paper examined field evidence and interviewed expert key informants on current intensity and frequency of human-elephants in Amboseli Ecosystem. According to them, generally, the most prevalent (score of 1 lowest to 10 highest) threats to elephants were competition for critical resources (6.32 ± 0.44) followed by blocking of migration (6.24 ± 0.46), harassment of elephants (4.83 ± 0.75), poaching (4.57 ± 0.37), and retaliatory killings (3.78 ± 0.31). For threats that elephants pose to people, the most prevalent one was crop raiding (6.95 ± 0.26) followed by environmental degradation (6.71 ± 0.46), general insecurity to people (5.76 ± 0.65), property destruction (5.16 ± 0.41), injury and death to livestock (3.78 ± 0.37), and injury and death to people (2.71 ± 0.27). For the severity of the threats, the highest score was given to crop raiding whose average score was 7.90 ± 0.24 followed by environmental destruction and degradation (6.89 ± 0.43), injury and death to people (6.72 ± 0.44), injury and death to livestock (6.36 ± 0.50), property destruction (5.78 ± 0.49), general insecurity to people (5.62 ± 0.64). Severity levels followed the same trend or varied slightly. These drivers of human-elephant conflicts need to be addressed decisively to protect both people and elephants. There is a need to ensure local people’s benefit from elephants through ecotourism investments such as wildlife sanctuaries, leasing critical space for elephants’ dispersal on acceptable terms, through appropriate compensation schemes for elephant costs, and supporting local community wildlife rangers to prevent conflicts.

Perception and Attitudes of Local Communities Towards Wild Elephant-related Problems and Conservation in Xishuangbanna,Southwestern China

The problem of wild elephants, or human-elephant conflict (HEC), influences the daily life of local communities and hinders the conservation of wild elephants.The perception and attitudes of local communities who inhabited the frontiers between human activities and wild elephant movement are important to the mitigation of the HEC and conservation of wild elephants. To analyze the perception and attitudes of local communities, the Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) was used in the investigation of 423 interviewees from 22 villages in Xishuangbanna from July 2009 to February 2010. The results indicated that local communities had their views on the elephant-related problems. In field survey, we found that 66.5% of interviewees were willing to support, participate in, and assist in the conservation of wild elephants;33.5% of interviewees were opposed or indifferent to such conservation, because their livelihoods and even their lives were endangered by wild elephants. These views and attitudes were influenced by local communities′perception of HEC, education level, gender and self-interest. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the diverse views among local communities and balance profits and costs in addressing HEC.

Population viability analysis of small population:a case study for Asian elephant in China

Small populations are at risk of extinction from deterministic and stochastic factors.Less than 250 Asian elephants(Elephas maximus)remain in China,and are distributed in a few isolated areas;yet,population viability analyses of this endangered population have not been conducted.Here,the current genetic status of the Pu’Er-Mengyang Asian elephant populations in China was analyzed,and the risk of extinction was predicted over the next 500 years.Factors affecting the viability of this population were determined through simulations.The genetic diversity of the population was very low(mean allele number:3.1;expected heterozygosity:0.463),even though a recent population bottleneck was not detected.The effective population size was approximately 24.1 adult elephants.Enough adult breeding individuals exist to maintain population viability.VORTEX simulation model showed that this population would not go extinct in the next 500 years.However,illegal poaching and harvesting could negatively affect population size.A sensitivity analysis showed that the mean stochastic growth rate of the study population is sensitive to sex ratio,number of breeding females,mortality of females of different age classes,carrying capacity,and lethal equivalents.Based on our results,we suggest that action should be taken to alleviate inbreeding and any further loss of genetic diversity,by connecting fragmented elephant habitat or by translocating individual elephants.In addition,human–elephant conflict should be mitigated using various modern approaches,including crop guarding techniques,and by encouraging farmers to switch to crops and income sources not vulnerable to elephant raids.

New challenges facing traditional nature reserves: Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) conservation in China

Traditional conservation strategies can effectively preserve biodiversity within nature reserves,but may fail to mitigate the conflicts between rural development and wildlife conservation.This paper discusses the magnitude of the conflict and its development over time,focusing on elephant conservation and land resource management within and around nature reserves.We suggest that regulations alone can satisfy neither the demands to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem services nor the demands to achieve human welfare.More innovative tools such as informed landuse planning and integrated conservation development projects are called for to reduce the agricultural interface with elephant range,and therefore to alleviate the damage caused by the conflict.

Injuries in survivors of elephant attack:Report of three cases

Human-elephant conflict(HEC)in India is becoming a growing health problem causing many fatalities every year.Elephants produce injuries by trampling,stomping,squeezing,tossing in the air,or crushing/targeting the head and chest commonly.The adult elephants are most aggressive in their mating season,leading to maximum incidences of HECs in this period.These attacks are mostly unprovoked,though most HECs are provoked.In this case series,the authors described the injuries sustained by three survivors in a short span of one month due to the sudden and unprovoked elephant attack.All the injuries were mild to moderate in severity and involved the chest in common.Timely rescue and prompt initiation of treatment were pivotal in their survival.The authors also want to create awareness about the mating season of elephants to minimize these unfortunate events in the future.