Restoration of elephant habitats in Assam

Efforts to mitigate Human Elephant Conflict (HEC) have become successful in different parts of Assam. Failure to replicate these in other HEC-hit areas has led to escalation in the conflict in some hotspots. Death of human lives, loss of standing crop, and damage caused to dwelling houses due to HEC often lead to conflict mitigation measures focusing more on compensation to the victim’s family than on finding a way to prevent recurrence. Sustainable HEC mitigation measures such as the erection of solar-powered fences, lemon tree fences, and the and the installation of solar-powered lights in some of the worst-hit areas along the India-Bhutan border need a stronger policy push. Securing the elephant corridor and preventing its fragmentation have mostly remained on paper. Illegal timber felling and encroachment of forest areas have aggravated the degradation of elephant habitat. This compels elephant herds to come out of their habitats in search of food and raid the paddy fields adjacent to their habitat or along their natural corridor. Ironically, conservation of elephant habitats and protecting their corridors have remained on paper. The solar-powered fences installed in some of the villages along the Bhutan border have significantly reduced HEC frequency. This has allowed marginal farmers living in these villages to harvest the paddy. Reduction in HEC intensity has provided the non-governmental organisations engaged in wildlife conservation the much-needed space to take their awareness drive on conservation of elephant habitat as a sustainable measure to prevent recurrence. Many poor and downtrodden people living on the forest fringe indulge in illegal felling of trees for livelihood without realising about its consequences. Inadequate presence of forest guards and nexus of corrupt personnel of the forest department and illegal timber traders have led to plundering of forest resources, degrading wildlife habitat, including that of elephants. Installation of a solar-powered fence or bio-fence of lemon trees has prevented elephant herds from raiding the villages and the paddy fields, but this can be sustainable only when degraded elephant habitats are restored to ensure adequate food and water availability for the pachyderm. Several success stories of the creation of manmade forests on degraded forest lands, such as Molai forest, raised by global forest conservation icon Jadav Payeng, and Geshemane and Sikaridanga manmade forests in Udalguri created through Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMC) formed by some Bodo youth under the aegis of the Forest Department, have demonstrated community participation in the restoration of degraded forests. Limiting Payeng or stakeholders of JFMC success stories to spreading awareness on tree plantations overshadows their larger success stories of forest restoration. Telling their success stories in full is critical to triggering the imagination about the importance of restoration of a lost or degraded forest through community participation. Awareness of individual role in tree plantation certainly has huge benefits, but HEC mitigation requires spreading this awareness beyond tree plantation by individuals and focusing more on ecological restoration, more particularly among the communities settled near the degraded forests. Ecological restoration such as the creation of a manmade forest requires sustained efforts backed by scientific research on what plants are suitable for the habitat. Supporting the JFMC with adequate funding is key to achieving desired success. Saplings and seed collection, growing a nursery for tree plantations, taking care of healthy growth of the saplings, regular watering, and protecting the growing trees from illegal timber traders require fulltime engagement of JFMC members, during which it becomes difficult for them to engage in livelihood activities. Such a period ranging from eight to ten years, the financial support must be adequate to take care of their household worries about income generation. Once the forest is regenerated, nature-loving tourists flock to the restored habitats. This gives rise to eco-tourism potential, and imparting skills to JFMC members to develop tourism products for sustainable livelihoods can also help sustain their commitment to protect and conserve the regenerated forests. Elephant herds and other wildlife species returning to manmade forests crated in the state have demonstrated the effectiveness of the model for a long-term solution to HEC. While solar-power fences or bio-fences are short-term solutions, initiatives for restoration of lost or degraded elephant habits taken up under joint forest management can be pragmatic long-term solutions. Development projects such as laying of a railway track, construction of highways, and fragmenting elephant corridors are another cause of frequent negative interaction between humans and elephants. These constructions are permanent in nature, and realigning those is easier said than done as new human settlements have come along these. Identification of new elephant corridors and securing those is crucial for HEC mitigation. Elephant herds ranging from one habitat to another habitat without is a natural behaviour, and ensuring this movement is facilitated without human disruption is essential to sustain the benefits of ecological restoration of their degraded habitats. In addition to preventing elephant herds from moving into human settlements, restoration of elephant habitats and corridors also needs to be prioritised.