Contents
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Foreword ...... ii Populations of Between 1,000 and 2,000 Elephants ...... 5 ... Compilers’ Note and Acknowledgements ...... 111 Populations of Between 500 and Elephants ...... Populations of Less Than 500 Animals...... Introduction ...... iv Doomed Populations 7 Management of Domestic and Captive 1. The Asian Elephant Action Plan 1 Asian Elephants ...... 7 Research ...... 7 Objective 1 Monitoring of Better Known Elephant Populations...... National Conservation Strategies Should Include Support for Research Institutions ...... 7 Elephant Conservation ...... 1 Public Awareness ...... 8 National Elephant Conservation and Implementation of the Asian Elephant Action Plan...... Management Strategies 1 Enforcement of National Laws Protecting 2. Bangladesh ...... 9 Elephants and Their Habitats ...... 1 3. Bhutan ...... 13 Establishment of Managed Elephant Ranges (MER) 4. Burma ...... 16 and Protected Areas 1 5. Cambodia ...... 20 National and International Corridors to Facilitate 6. China ...... 23 Elephant Migration ...... 2 7. India ...... 26 Mitigating Conflict between Elephants and People ...... 8. Indonesia: Kalimantan...... 34 Compensation Schemes ...... 2 9. Indonesia: Sumatra ...... 36 Guidelines for Minimising Elephant Depredation ...... 10. Laos 48 Translocation of Elephants ...... 3 11. Malaysia: Peninsular Malaysia ...... 51 Control of Poaching ...... 3 12. Malaysia: Sabah ...... 54 Provision for Elephants in Development Areas 13. Nepal ...... 57 Enforcement of CITES Regulations on Trade in 14. Sri Lanka ...... 60 Asian Elephant Ivory and Hide 3 15. Thailand 67 Field Action: Management of Priority 16. Vietnam ...... 73 Elephant Populations Populations of More Than 2,000 Elephants ...... References ...... 76
Foreword
The Asian elephant is unique, being the only species of wild tive alternatives, supported by quantifiable data and, where ap- animal that, after a few months of teaching by man, behaves propriate, strengthened by tested practical solutions which they towards him with patience and understanding. It participates in can use without seriously compromising national plans for eco- man’s religious, cultural, and social activities, lending dignity nomic development. Indeed, this is what the Asian Elephant and grace as each occasion demands, as though it had learnt all Specialist Group (AESG) pledged to do when it was founded in about it in the jungle. The folklore and cultures of Asian 1978. All the research and field projects that we have promoted countries are rich in tales and anecdotes, which confer on have been geared towards equipping ourselves with knowledge elephants a kind of superior intellect enabling them to live with that can be shared with decision-makers and economic devel- people and yet not succumb to complete domestication. opers. The work of members of the group in India, Indonesia, This touching relationship between man and elephant in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand has enhanced the capacity to Asia from time immemorial sends strong conservation im- tackle such issues as elephant population biology, assessment pulses through governments, decision-makers, and the general of crop damage, prevention of human-elephant conflicts, and public. They would not consciously jeopardise the future of a translocation, including well-planned elephant drives. Now, at much-loved animal, so it is up to conservationists to translate the threshold of a new decade, we aim to sit with the this sentiment into a commitment from politicians and planners makers to help plot a course that will remove the threats to to safeguard that future. The best laid plans for conservation in survival of this great animal. It is no mean task but, judging general will come to nothing if there is no political will to from the determination and dedication of our members, we implement them. believe that we have a good chance of success. From personal experience, I venture to say that such com- It is appropriate to recall how it all began, and, in particular, mitment can be expected if we provide politicians with attrac- the pioneering efforts of the original 23-member Group led by
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1. The Asian Elephant Action Plan
Objective National Elephant Conservation and The objective of the Asian Elephant Action Plan is to conserve Management Strategies as many elephants as possible, throughout their range, while In addition to including elephants in their National Conserva- minimizing conflict with people. This objective has to be tion Strategies, governments in Asia with elephants should achieved in the context of continued increase in human popu- develop National Elephant Conservation and Management lation, rising living standards, and the need for land for agricul- Strategies. These strategies should include all the major aspects ture and settlement. addressed in this Action Plan. They should include a system of It will not be possible to save all Asia’s wild elephants, but assessing national conservation priorities, as demonstrated in losses can be kept to a minimum if economic development plans Chapter 14 on Sumatra. India has announced “Project Ele- take into account the needs of elephants, and planning for phant”, which will broadly follow the ecological approach used elephant conservation takes into consideration the needs of in Project Tiger. local people. The Asian Elephant Specialist Group is avail- Conservation of the elephant in Asia depends on the political able to advise governments and conservation organisations on will and concerted action of the governments involved. With- the preparation and implementation of such strategies through out political will and commitment, the implementation of many the IUCN Asian Elephant Conservation Centre, which has been of the conservation recommendations outlined here will be established at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. The impossible. Government commitment and action must be based Centre is preparing a model strategy for the benefit of Asian on sound ecological, economic, and cultural arguments for governments. conservation of elephants in the light of their positive and negative impacts on the environment. Enforcement of National Laws Protecting Elephants and their Habitat National Conservation Strategies Should Include Elephant Conservation Existing laws to conserve elephants and their habitats need to be fully enforced, and they should be supplemented wherever The World Conservation Strategy (WCS) jointly published in necessary to ensure the fullest protection. As has been stated, 1980 by IUCN, UNEP (United Nations Environment protection of elephants is especially valuable because it simul- and WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) recom- taneously covers the interests of a vast range of species and mended the preparation of National Conservation Strategies areas. Among countries with Asian elephants, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam have completed strategies, Bangladesh and India are preparing them, and Laos may soon do so. Establishment of Managed Elephant Malaysia is preparing state-by-state strategies. Other countries Ranges (MER) and Protected Areas with elephants should follow suit. Provision for elephant conservation should be included in an NCS because the Every country should develop a network of protected areas for term survival of the Asian elephant needs to be a part of overall elephant conservation. Such areas are of critical importance. environmental conservation plans. They need to be of sufficient size and ecological diversity to Conservation and development programmes need to be in- accommodate flourishing populations of elephants. It is not tegrated in such a manner as to reduce conflict. This can only sufficient to maintain a so-called “Minimum Viable Popula- be brought about by policy makers at the highest levels. Ele- tion” (MVP), as this does not have the ability to withstand phant conservation should not be viewed as preoccupation with natural hazards and fluctuations in elephant populations. The a single species. It should be considered a practical means to objective should be to maintain an elephant population in a enhance the country’s overall conservation protected area at least double the MVP. elephants can only be conserved by ensuring the integrity of Protected areas provide necessary sanctuaries for elephants their forest habitats with all other species found there. from human activities. They should be part of larger Managed Elephant Ranges (MER) to provide sufficient space for ele- Other types of barrier may be used, such as: phant movements. In a Managed Elephant Range, priority is Trenches, provided they are in solid soils and well main- given to the requirements of elephants, but compatible human tained, otherwise elephants will soon make breaches. But activities are permitted, such as sustained-yield forestry, trenches seldom survive rainy seasons, and maintenance rotation shifting cultivation, controlled livestock grazing, and costs are high. subsistence hunting. Priority has to be given to elephant requirements. Controlled logging can contribute to making High voltage electric fencing, which gives a sharp non- good habitat for elephants, as regrowth and secondary vegeta- lethal shock. This can be very effective and relatively cheap tion often provide excellent food resources and can maintain compared with other methods. Several thousand larger elephant densities than primary forest. are com- etres have been erected in Malaysia and it has been calcu- plementary to, and not a substitute for, protected areas. lated that, over a period of five years, they may save crops valued at as much as 70 times the cost of installation. Such fences need sound maintenance and monitoring to ensure National and International Corridors to that they are in working order.
Facilitate Elephant Migration Steep-sided canals which elephants cannot enter. Cross- Where it is not possible to establish sufficiently large individual ings for elephants can be constructed at carefully selected protected areas for an elephant population, forest corridors points, bearing in mind known elephant movements and should be maintained to facilitate migration between protected preferences. areas. Land-use planning should established migra- In emergencies, trained elephants can be used to chase ma- tion routes and protect them from incompatible forms of devel- rauders away. opment and settlement. Maintenance of migration corridors will minimize conflicts between elephants and people. It will Adult male elephants have been observed to raid crops more also prevent the isolation of herds, and improve the genetic frequently than females and to damage more crops in each raid. viability of the overall population. Most instances of manslaughter are also by male elephants. International cooperation is required where migration routes If there is no other option but to capture or destroy cross frontiers. The elephant migration routes along the foot- raiding elephants, only adult males should be removed. The hills of the eastern Himalayas from North Bengal to Arunachal effect of culling males from the population will not only reduce Pradesh through Bhutan and Assam, which require national and conflict to a greater extent than removing females, but will also international action are an example. It is particularly important have the least impact on the population’s fertility and growth. that migration routes are not disrupted, or very serious conflicts Where a small number of elephants are in regular conflict between elephants and people may result, involving some of the with people, they should be translocated or captured and do- largest remaining Asian elephant populations. mesticated, if there is work for them. If none of these solutions is possible, the elephants have to be shot. Mitigating Conflict Between Elephants and People Compensation Schemes Compensation and insurance for crop damage can be Ideally, reserves should be designed to provide for elephant on a limited basis. Due to numerous practical problems in needs so that the stimulus to move elsewhere is minimised. paying compensation, this cannot be a permanent solution. However, in present conditions, elephants are likely to clash with human interests in many places. Depredation of crops (such as oil palm, rubber, cereals, millets, and sugarcane) costs millions of dollars every year in some countries, and man- Guidelines for Minimising Elephant slaughter by elephants is a serious problem. Elephants kill about people each year in India alone. The elephant Depredation will be accepted by local people only if its impact on human The World Bank Technical Paper “Managing Elephant interests can be minimised. dation in Agricultural and Forestry Projects” by Dr. John Elephant movements can be controlled by the use of barriers Seidensticker is a valuable source of guidelines for minimising of various kinds to exclude them from areas used by people or elephant depredation. Important recommendations are: to keep them in reserves. Natural barriers are to be preferred, such as belts around protected areas or Managed Elephant Apre-project design assessment should beconducted, in as- Ranges, where crops which would attract elephants are not sociation with local wildlife authorities, to predict the re- grown. Nor should there be water sources which elephants sponse of elephants to a proposed project. This provides a would use. A belt of at least one kilometre of land inhospitable basis for incorporating measures into the project to avoid to elephants should be maintained in order to minimise conflict major conflicts. with people. Crops such as tea and are suitable for Final project design should include features that prevent planting, as they are unpalatable to elephants. elephants from entering production areas, but ensure local also suggests severe poaching of elephants for their hide in Burma. The hides are apparently traded to China, some of them through northern Thailand. There is also poaching for meat in some areas and of live animals, which are illegally employed or smuggled. Adequate staff, funds, and equipment should be allocated to anti-poaching units. Creation of paramilitary units should be considered. Intelligence units should be established to uncover poaching networks, and cooperation with police and other civil authorities should be ensured.
Provision for Elephants in Development Areas In some cases, development areas, such as those covered by irrigation and hydroelectric power projects, can become ele- phant refuges. Protection of catchment areas, which is vital to Banana plants destroyed elephants in India (Photo by Peter the long-term viability of reservoirs, is compatible with the Jackson). presence of elephants, which benefit from the presence of permanent water.
elephants access to critical resources, or provide these Enforcement of CITES Regulations on through habitat enrichment. Trade in Asian Elephant Ivory and Hide Emphasis in project design should be placed on passive ele- phant management features. These can include minor Governments should enforce regulations under the Convention modification in infrastructure, either to facilitate or block on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and elephant movements, and the creation of buffer zones to Fauna (CITES) concerning the trade in Asian elephant prod- separate production areas and forest refuges. ucts. The demand for ivory is leading to the elimination of tuskers from some populations in Asia, while the recently Project activities should be scheduled to ensure that groups developed industries in China using hide for bags, shoes, belts, of elephants are not isolated or “pocketed” in production and other items represent a grave threat to elephants of all ages areas. Such elephants can be very dangerous and destruc- and sexes. tive. The following actions are essential to the control of the ivory . A strong local institutional support base is required for suc- trade:
cessful elephant management. All countries should be Parties to CITES. Burma, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, which are not yet Local wildlife management authorities should be provided with necessary technical and financial assistance. of Elephants Elephants may have to be translocated from areas which are being developed or where they have become pests. Herds have been successfully driven to new habitats in India, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. Advance planning is necessary to route the elephants through suitable corridors and to make barriers to prevent their return. Chemical immobilisation and transport is possible under strict veterinary supervision, but even so entails risks for the ele- phants and people involved. Elephants may be captured for domestication or for zoos, but, in both cases, the number that can be absorbed is very small.
Control of Poaching Poaching for ivory is primarily a threat to tuskers, and thereby to the genetic health of elephant populations. Recent e ries to CITES, should adhere as soon as possible in the term interest of their elephants.