Why in the News?

Since February this year, hundreds of copies of the Environment Ministry’s elephant census report — “Status of Elephant in India 2022-23” — have remained unreleased, with the government attributing the delay to pending census data from the Northeast.

Findings of the Elephant Census Report:

• Significant Drop in Population: The report shows a 20% drop in India’s elephant population since 2017. The Central Indian and Eastern Ghats recorded a 41% dip, with some states like Southern West Bengal (84%), Jharkhand (68%), and Orissa (54%) experiencing major declines.
• Regional Breakdown: The Western Ghats also saw a decline of 18%, particularly in Kerala, where the population fell by 51%. The Shivalik hills and Gangetic plains recorded only a slight drop (2%), while the Northeast’s data was not updated, but is expected to see a reduction when properly modeled.
• Developmental Pressures: The report identified “mushrooming developmental projects,” particularly unmitigated mining, linear infrastructure construction, and habitat fragmentation, as key threats to elephants.
  • Poaching, railway collisions, and electrocution were other significant risks.
• Fragmentation of Habitats: The once-contiguous populations, particularly in the Western Ghats and Central India, are becoming increasingly fragmented due to land-use changes, such as plantations, fencing, and human encroachment.
• Threats in the Northeast: Elephants in the Northeast are under threat from a mosaic of human habitation, plantations, mines, and oil refineries. Poaching for ivory is a serious issue in this region.

Note: “Mushrooming developmental projects” refers to the rapid, often uncontrolled expansion of infrastructure and industrial activities, such as mining, road construction, and urbanization, which disrupt ecosystems and natural habitats, impacting biodiversity.

Why Was the Report Shelved After Being Printed?:

• Delay in Northeast Data: The government cited delays in completing the census in the Northeast region as the primary reason for not releasing the report.
  •  The methodology and data collection, including advanced techniques like DNA profiling and camera traps, were not fully implemented in the region due to logistical challenges.
• Interim Status: The Ministry stated that the current report is an interim version and the final report, including Northeast data, is expected by June 2025. There is a reluctance to release incomplete data until a uniform methodology is applied across all regions.

What are the implications of this decline for elephant on conservation efforts?

• Need for Urgent Action: The significant decline in elephant populations, especially in the Central and Eastern regions, signals an urgent need for conservation strategies, including habitat restoration and strengthened protection measures.
• Impact of Development: The report emphasizes the need to address the impacts of developmental projects, which have severely fragmented elephant habitats, increasing human-elephant conflict and other risks such as poaching.
• Reevaluation of Conservation Policies: The findings suggest the necessity for reevaluating conservation policies to focus on maintaining elephant corridors, mitigating the impact of infrastructure projects, and fostering community support for conservation.
• Scientific Modelling: The shift to more sophisticated scientific modelling of elephant populations (mark-recapture techniques).
• Focus on Fragmented Landscapes: Future conservation strategies must address the fragmentation of landscapes, particularly in critical areas like the Eastern Ghats, Western Ghats, and the Northeast, to reconnect elephant habitats and ensure their long-term survival.

Conclusion: The Elephant Census Report reveals a worrying decline in populations due to habitat fragmentation and developmental pressures. Urgent action is needed to restore habitats, strengthen protection, and reevaluate conservation policies to ensure long-term elephant survival.

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