Project Elephant-Elephant conservation and more
Current state:
According to The Hindu, Elephant herds are known to migrate across 350-500 sq. km. annually but increasingly fragmented landscapes are driving the giant mammals more frequently into human-dominated areas, giving rise to more man-animal conflicts
There are about 101 elephant corridors across India. A comparative study shows that about 74% corridors are of a width of one kilometre or less today, compared with 45.5% in 2005, and only 22% corridors are of a width of one to three kilometres now, compared with 41% in 2005, pointing to how constricted corridors have become in past 12 years. (The Hindu)
About 8 corridors have been secured on an urgent basis, and to increase awareness the MoEFCC, WTI and other organizations are planning ‘Gaj Yatras’.
Elephants are precious animals. So much so that when forest elephants eat, they create gaps in the vegetation. These gaps allow new plants to grow and create pathways for other smaller animals to use. They are also one of the major ways in which trees disperse their seeds; some species rely entirely upon elephants for seed dispersal. (save the elephants)
