Territorial troubles

There is immense pressure on the State Forest Department to consider relocation of wildlife, especially elephants. A HC-appointed task force in Karnataka is looking into human-elephant conflict and designing solutions. The report this force submits could determine the fate of elephants across the State, writes Madhumitha B

Wildlife conservation today is akin to facing a double-edged sword. Poaching is the largest issue standing in the way of protecting jungles while conflict now adds pressure to the sensitive balance.

And when human-wildlife conflict takes on an aggressive turn, it is wildlife that is forced to retreat and learn to adapt or perish. There is little else in terms of choice and the fact that their landscapes are being taken over by man has little or no relevance at all with regard to man’s response to conflict.

There is a High Court appointed task force in Karnataka that has been assigned the job of analysing human-elephant conflict across the State and design solutions that can best lead to mitigation. This task force, whose job it is to present the voices of the people living in areas that face such conflict, is to provide long-term solutions to this issue.

The task force, headed by Prof R Sukumar of the Indian Institute of Science and comprising experts in the field including members of the Forest Department and Project Elephant, are due to submit their report. The result of this report could determine the fate of the elephants across the State.

Conundrum

One of the biggest fears that loom large among foresters and wildlife biologists alike is the increasingly little land available for biodiversity to thrive. In order to meet the unending demands of growing human population, we are, as a fraternity, driving away various species into narrower corners that are taking them nowhere they are meant to go. And not just that, we are mercilessly axing their corridors and home to make way for a development that has thrown the commitment to protect biodiversity, out of the concrete jungle window.

We also refuse to take any responsibility for being the cause or party to this damage on the ecosystem. Human-wildlife conflict is a serious concern and a growing one. With so much pressure on landscapes, the consequence of such encounters is costing the farmers their crops and sometimes, lives. And this is a worrisome factor. Additionally it bears heavily on biodiversity as well.

Shrinking forest cover is an open invitation for wildlife species to enter previously unknown areas that they didn’t need to venture into at all, forage on crops and prey on species not part of the natural ecosystem of a jungle. And if this is a repetitive practice, there is lesser and lesser tolerance towards these species who then face injury, death or are put through what is termed as solutions, captivity or relocation (removing a species or an individual wildlife from one forest area to another in an effort to mitigate conflict).

No real solution

Neither of these options is really a solution from the wildlife perspective. While captivity is the bringing down of the gavel announcing life sentence, relocation is like exile. With so much pressure to mitigate conflict, relocation is often pushed as the front-runner to tackle the problem. The method has its reasons and one of it is to protect the specific species that is in conflict from possible risk to itself and others but relocation itself, has, so far been the best solution in India, especially for elephants.

The fact of the matter is that there is immense pressure on the State Forest Department to consider relocation of several wildlife species, both small and large – the elephants are at the top of this list. But is taking them away from the present conflict area, actually resolving the matter?

The answer is no, when you consider the underlying problem of diminishing forest land everywhere. In that respect, we may simply be shifting the problem. Vivek Menon, Executive director, Wildlife Trust of India explains, “If relocation is being considered, the question is where are these species going to be put? There will be a resident or territorial population already in place and it cannot be crowded or occupied by a new herd.”

There is so much disintegration of forests today across the country and flaring conflict is deep-rooted in the basic problem created by development and urbanisation. “And we have ourselves (mankind) to blame for that. All species have territories and forage areas and for as large a mammal as elephants, space is essential and that comes from well connected corridors. This is lacking and if their migratory paths are blocked, broken or replaced, they are left with no choice but to detour in an effort to find that link,” states a senior forest officer in the State.

Additionally, relocation has most often proved to be ineffective apart from being extremely stressful to the species that has to leave an already established territory and confront, for survival, its counterparts in another area. In so many instances of relocation, ranging from snakes to big cats and elephants, they have been recorded to return to the area from which they were originally moved or die trying to establish their home ground in a new area. This in itself should dissuade the process of relocation for mitigating conflict, stated the senior forest officer.

Menon added, “Biologically, elephants need to move and ideally, these should be natural. Allowing natural cyclic movements is the solution that will keep conflict at bay. But based on the situation of fragmented forests, sometimes solutions such as the one of relocation have to be thought of, although it must be the absolute last solution.

And when this decision is taken, the entire social structure of a species such as elephants is of utmost importance. This is a very close-knit social species that gives priority to the family structure and if relocation is decided on, the best people in the field along with bringing together experts from other disciplines such as sociology and ecology, must be brought in. And all the members of the herd have to be moved to the same location,leaving no one behind.”

Herculean task

While the conflict itself is manifold, the solution is one that is herculean, especially when it involves relocation. This whole exercise comes with a lot of baggage. “Stress and trauma are manifold, from tranquilising to transporting the animal. The use of the right drugs and most importantly right dosage and ensuring that the animal does not injure itself or the people involved, is critical. And ultimately, after relocation, most often than not, if these species have connectivity, they will come back to the original area. All this said, relocation really is not a solution, it is just better than dying or being in captivity,” stated Menon.

What we have today is a broken trail of forests which have been interfered with, so much
so, that the remedial action will require far more attention and commitment than what currently exists and that includes policies and judgements that need to boldly stand up for the environment. The onus is on us and us alone. There has to be a stop to this destruction we call development and economy which has not fit in the broader meaning of co-existence, ironically one of India’s deep-rooted ideologies.

Being selfish is going to cost us in ways we cannot imagine.

The solution, quite tragically and also quite simply, lies in the problem itself. Decreasing forest areas is forcing wildlife species out and causing conflict with man. By connecting corridors and leaving these lands for wildlife alone and persuading farmers not to grow crops that attract elephants, in the periphery, we are in fact enabling a remedial measure and one that is the most effective in the long term.

All quiet at Bandipur

In keeping with the Supreme Court’s direction, there has been a ban on safaris at the Bandipur Tiger Reserve. Bandipur which till now, was bustling with tourists, has now fallen quiet. The reception counters at the resort offices here are all locked.

Also, traffic on the highway has dropped. The number of empty food packets, discarded plastic bottles, etc  that earlier littered the region has come down, too.

The number of tourists who would feed animals on the highway and litter the forest area has dropped sharply. Earlier, as many as 30 safari vehicles would ply the highway and inside the forest on a daily basis.  Today, the forest seems to have fallen quiet.

R K Madhu