Conserving Rajaji and Corbett National Parks – the Elephant As a Flagship Species
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ORYX VOL 28 NO 2 APRIL 1994 Conserving Rajaji and Corbett National Parks - the elephant as a flagship species A. J. T. Johnsingh and Justus Joshua One of India's five major populations of elephants lives in north-west India, where 90 per cent of the total 750 elephants occur in Rajaji and Corbett National Parks and adjacent reserve forests. This 3000-sq-km habitat is also home to many other endangered species. While the 520-sq-km core area of Corbett National Park is free from human impact, the rest of the range is subject to increasing pressures, both from the pastoral Gujjar community within the forests and villagers outside. The elephant habitat has been fragmented by hydrological development work and human-elephant conflict is increasing. The authors recommend measures that need to be implemented to ensure that the elephants and other wildlife of the area are conserved. Introduction which would be managed under a special scheme (Johnsingh and Panwar, 1992), would Over the last two decades many habitat con- be a step towards action on this. servation programmes have adopted particu- The Asian elephant Elephas maximus con- lar species to serve as 'flagship species'. By fo- forms to the role of a flagship species ex- cusing on one species and its conservation tremely well. To maintain viable populations, needs, large areas of habitat can be managed, many large areas will be needed in its range, not only for the species in question but for a each containing more than 500 breeding whole range of less charismatic taxa. In India, adults (Santiapillai and Jackson, 1990), as well the tiger Panthera tigris was used as a flagship as plentiful clean water, abundant forage and species when 'Project Tiger' was started in protection from poaching. By pushing down 1973. Despite the enormous odds, the project trees and creating trails in dense scrub and tall has improved the chances of the tiger's sur- grassland, elephants facilitate the feeding and vival, saved large areas of habitat and main- movement of many other grazing and brows- tained biological diversity (Panwar, 1987). ing mammals. A well-managed elephant con- Since the inception of 'Project Tiger' India's servation unit will be an excellent habitat for human population rose from about 550 numerous other species. Above all, the eleph- million to 840 million in 1990 and with it the ant is an integral part of Indian culture and re- associated demands for natural resources ligion and therefore it should be possible to from wilderness areas. As a result of growing gain public support for its protection. political unrest, deforestation and poaching, In this paper we outline the conservation the achievements of Project Tiger and allied strategies needed to manage the Rajaji and conservation projects are being eroded. There Corbett National Parks in Uttar Pradesh as is an urgent need to identify another species of one elephant conservation unit. comparable glamour and ecological suitability to inject vigour into conservation programmes and to win public support in India. 'Project Elephant habitat Elephant', in which elephant reserves or con- servation units covering much larger areas Uttar Pradesh has one of five populations of than those designated as tiger reserves and elephants in India (Daniel, 1980). The 135 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.33.19, on 24 Sep 2021 at 08:31:38, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605300028453 A. J. T. JOHNSINGH AND J. JOSHUA Ramganga River Dchradun 29°50' Yamuna River Delh Chillu-Motichur Corridor H Corbett Tiger Reserve sj Corbett National Park • •• Rajaji National Park 10 km _L 77°50' 79° Figure 1. Rajaji-Corbett elephant range. suggested Rajaji-Corbett Elephant Reserve in- jacent 'terai' belt, with dense tall grass, a high cludes the present Shivalik forest division, water table and a once abundant large mam- Rajaji National Park (820 sq km); Corbett Tiger mal fauna (for example, elephant and greater Reserve (1320 sq km, of which 520 sq km is a Indian one-horned rhinoceros Rhinoceros uni- core area and a national park), and parts of cornis), has been lost to agriculture, human four other forest divisions (29°25' to 30°13'N settlements and plantations. and 77°54' to 79°05'E). East to west, this area The vegetation of the bhabar tract is dry de- stretches between the Kosi River, which forms ciduous woodland dominated by Shorea ro- the eastern boundary of Corbett Tiger busta, Anogeissus latifolia, Mallotus philippinen- Reserve, and the Yamuna River at the western sis and Acacia catechu. Bamboo Dendrocalamus end of Shivalik forest division (Figure 1). This strictus was once abundant throughout this would cover about 3000 sq km of elephant tract. The understorey in many places is domi- range with an estimated 650 elephants, 90 per nated by alien and indigenous weeds. cent of the total number in Uttar Pradesh Grassland is restricted to riverine areas and (Singh, 1986). The range is fragmented into hill slopes. three units: west of the Ganges; between the Ganges and Koh rivers; and between the Koh and Kosi rivers (Figure 1). Genetic continuity Other key vertebrate fauna between fragmented populations is main- tained, however, by the migration of bulls. Other wildlife in the range include 100-150 North to south this elephant range is divis- tigers and over 300 leopards Panthera pardus. ible broadly into the outer Himalaya and the Large ungulate prey are sambar Cervus uni- Shivalik hills. The latter form nearly 70 per color, nilgai Boselaphus tragocamelus, chital cent of the elephant habitat. The altitude in Cervus axis, hog deer Cervus porcinus, Indian this range varies between 300 and 1000 m. muntjac Muntiacus muntjak, wild pig Sus scrofa Locally, the Shivaliks and the foothills of the and goral Nemorhaedus goral. The golden jackal Himalaya are called the 'bhabar' tract. The ad- Canis aureus is common and the Himalayan 136 ORYX VOL 28 NO 2 APRIL 1994 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.33.19, on 24 Sep 2021 at 08:31:38, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605300028453 CONSERVING RAJAJI-CORBETT NATIONAL PARKS yellow-throated marten Martes flavigula is seen similar habitat loss has occurred all along the occasionally. Dhole Cuon alpinus, wolf Cam's southern boundary of the elephant range. lupus and hyaena Hyaena hyaena are rare, while primates are represented by rhesus Development projects macaque Macaca mulatta and Hanuman langur Presbytis entellus. Construction of the Ramganga reservoir and Birds of conservation concern are the horn- the Kunaun-Chilla power channel, both of bills Tockus birostris, Anthracoceros malabaricuswhich were completed in the early 1970s, have and Buceros bicornis, yellow-legged green led to fragmentation of the elephant habitat. pigeon Treron phoenicoptem, kalij pheasant When the reservoir, which extends over 80 sq Lophura leucomelana and red junglefowl Gallus km soon after the rains in July-September, gallus. Three species of endangered reptiles filled in 1974, it severed the regular elephant occur: the king cobra Ophiophagus hannah, migratory route between Corbett National which occurs throughout the area, the gharial Park and the western part of the Tiger Gavialis gangeticus and the mugger Crocodylus Reserve. Although a few elephant groups palustris, both confined to the Ramganga River eventually found a way across the hills north and the reservoir in Corbett. These water of the reservoir to the bamboo-rich western bodies are the last stronghold for the en- part of the reserve, the migratory patterns and dangered golden mahseer Tor putitom, a fish habitat use of the elephants in Corbett remain highly valued by anglers. affected (Singh, 1978) because the reservoir township prevents elephants from migrating along the southern boundary The problems The 14-km-long power channel runs parallel to the left bank of the Ganges and has dras- The major problems threatening the conser- tically reduced elephant access from Chilla to vation of elephants and other wildlife in this the river. Nearly 15 sq km of habitat, which in- area are the lingering effects of the loss of cludes at least 8 sq km of grassland, has also habitat through the development projects of become inaccessible to elephants because of the early 1970s, and increasing pressures - the channel and encroachment (Singh, 1978). wood-cutting, tree-lopping, grass-cutting, cat- Similarly, development on the west bank of tle grazing - from the pastoral Gujjars who the Ganges has stopped elephant groups from live inside the forest and from villagers from Motichur using the Ganges, although bulls are outside. As a result of these pressures, weeds able to move across the river and the power proliferate, forage species do not regenerate channel on a narrow bridge. Groups avoid and water bodies are polluted by people and moving through disturbed areas because of livestock. Poaching is a menace and conflict the danger to calves. between humans and elephants seems to be increasing. Increasing biotic pressures Gujjar settlements are spread across the eleph- Loss of habitat ant range except in Corbett National Park. The decrease in the extent of wildlife habitat is Their total number could be around 20,000 (c. largely because of the increase in human 2000 families). They raise buffaloes for milk, population and the resultant demand for more and feed them by lopping trees. Repeated lop- land. For example, the human population ping affects tree reproduction and reduces around Rajaji National Park alone doubled be- their capacity to prevent erosion that could be tween 1951 (188,957) and 1981 (409,773), re- caused by heavy rains, especially in the geo- sulting in the loss of 70 sq km of forest land to logically young Shivaliks.