Asian Elephant conservation

BNP is situated at the northernmost tip of the Eastern Ghats in peninsular India.  It is a highly fragmented and linear tract of forest contiguous to its south towards sparsely covered protected area networks belonging to the adjoining state of Tamilnadu as well as other reserves in Karnataka.

The Asian Elephant has been a symbol of conservation and community concern in this landscape since time immemorial. Despite the conservation concerns, such as habitat fragmentation and human-elephant conflicts, elephants seem to thrive in this region reasonably well throughout the year.

Since 2004, A Rocha India has pioneered scientific research aimed at elephant conservation in the Bannerghatta landscape using community-based techniques to mitigate human-elephant conflict which is the foremost threat to the local survival of the species. Studies on population demography, mitigation measures, education and awareness programs using robust science have yielded consensual participation from various stakeholders in addressing the cause. Some of our on-going elephant research aims at using technology-based approaches in conflict mitigation.