Picture Book on Bannerghatta Park

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Conservation of the Asian elephant is challenging due to the increase in human population and their developmental activities around elephant habitats, thereby perpetuating increased competition for natural resources between the two. 

The influence of humans — by encroachment, fragmentation of habitat and increased urbanisation — also act as drivers of conflict between elephants and human beings.

In an attempt to create interest and awareness among the general public on the science and conservation of this charismatic species, A Rocha, India, along with the Asian Nature Conservation Foundation, Bangalore, recently released a picture book, ‘Science of Elephant in Silicon City’, on the Bannerghatta National Park (BNP). The book focusses on elephants and the human-elephant conflict.

BNP, situated 25 km away from the silicon city Bangalore, is administratively one of the smallest parks (26 km in length and 0.3 to 5 km in width) in India. However, geographically, it is a part of the largest remaining habitat for Asian elephants in the country. 

This picture book gives the reader a pictorial depiction of the studies conducted by A Rocha from 2002 to 2012 on the various aspects of ecology and conservation of this endangered species. The authors are Surendra Varma, Nishant M, Gopala Krishna, Avinash Krishnan and Padmamala Rajagopalan.

There are details on how the jumbos are studied, how counting and classifying is done, and on elephant corridors. It also talks about the landscape, and native plants and exotic species. 

The book touches upon all topics related to the National Park — from forest land to farm land, management and empowerment, managing the mega mammal and empowering everyone, and in-depth details on rainfall, species of birds, animals and insects, human settlements/villages, tribes, all accompanied by arresting photographs.

A key aspect of the book is the mention of problems that is plaguing the park, like smugglers, encroachment, illegal mining and invasion of plants like Lantana. 

Talking about this, the book says, “The total area of infestation and distribution of these invasive species across the entire park, suggests a clear disturbance within the habitat.
 Human pressures such as cattle grazing, fire wood collection, lopping etc., could be seen as causes of disturbance in the park which is paving way for the invasion of alien species.”

It also says that this invasion and the disturbance may bring down the quality of the habitat available for the Asian elephants and contribute towards incursions into human habitations.