Legal Protection for Elephant Corridors Vital to Curb Human-Animal Conflict: Experts
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As incidents of human-elephant conflict continue to pose a significant challenge for wildlife management in Kerala, environmental experts have called for an urgent paradigm shift in how the state protects pachyderm habitats. At a recent discussion titled “Vanaspandanam,” organized by the Coexistence Collective and the State Central Library, participants emphasized that the current lack of statutory backing for elephant corridors is a critical lapse in conservation strategy.
Prerna Singh Bindra, a former member of the National Board for Wildlife, underscored that merely mapping elephant movement is insufficient. While the Union Ministry has identified approximately 150 corridors across the country, these areas lack the legislative armor necessary to prevent encroachment.
“We must move beyond mapping and toward mandatory legal protection,” Bindra stated during the virtual session. She argued that the government must undertake a comprehensive study to identify active movement paths and determine the appropriate classification for their protection, whether through the declaration of community reserves, eco-sensitive zones, or formal protected reserves. Currently, only about 25 percent of the total elephant range falls within designated protected areas, leaving the vast majority of their habitat vulnerable to fragmentation.
Moving Beyond “One-Size-Fits-All” Solutions
The discussion also touched upon the complexities of managing human-elephant conflict. Dr. P.S. Easa, former director of the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI), cautioned against the common practice of adopting conservation models from other regions, such as Kenya or Assam. He argued that Kerala’s unique landscape requires site-specific, science-based policies rather than wholesale replication of foreign or out-of-state strategies.
Dr. Easa pointed out that the loss of traditional migration routes—such as the historically significant Tirunelli–Kudrakote path and the connection between Chinnakanal and Thekkady—has left elephant populations isolated. This isolation poses a grave long-term threat, as it restricts gene flow and leads to inbreeding, which in turn spikes infant mortality rates. Furthermore, he challenged the widely held belief that food and water shortages are the primary drivers of conflict. Noting that many encounters occur between August and November—a period when natural forage is plentiful—he suggested that human-elephant friction is a more nuanced behavioral issue than simple resource scarcity.
The Need for Statutory Frameworks
The debate highlights a stark realization for forest officials: effective conservation is impossible without a formalized legal foundation. P. Pugazhendi, the Chief Wildlife Warden, acknowledged the current policy deficit, admitting that the state lacks a dedicated elephant conservation plan or a formally sanctioned sanctuary system.
“Meaningful discussions regarding elephant habitats or corridors can only occur if these spaces are granted firm legal backing,” Pugazhendi noted.
As habitat fragmentation continues to accelerate, experts at the forum called for a synchronized census and a coordinated cross-state analysis between the southern Indian states. By integrating data-driven management with robust legal protection, the state hopes to restore the balance between human settlements and the ancestral movement paths of Kerala’s elephant populations. For now, the consensus remains clear: until these corridors are legally recognized and preserved, the cycle of conflict will remain an ongoing threat to both the local communities and the endangered giants themselves.
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