Human-Elephant Conflict in Kerala, India: a Rapid Appraisal Using Compensation Records

Sengupta, Asmita; Binoy, V. V.; Radhakrishna, S.

doi:10.1007/s10745-020-00128-6

Cited by 17 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Additionally, to overcome this spatial error in future studies it is advisable to conduct a preliminary survey to collect the actual locations of HEC for error estimation. Although, compensation records are prone to the above-mentioned errors, in the absence of primary data they are a faster and effective way for assessing the levels of conflict intensity (Sengupta et al, 2020) of a landscape. It also helps to address the lack of primary data availability since there is barely any published information in the study area at the village scale.…”

Section: Strengths and Limitations Of The Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Indian government has paid compensations of around US$ 19.2 million for damage to crops and property and US$ 5 million for human lives lost due to HEC from 2014 to 2018 (MoEF and CC, 2018). While 60% of the world's elephant population is found in India, only 30% of these elephants survive within large contiguous forests (Naha et al, 2019;Sengupta et al, 2020). The rest depend on small forest ranges under constant pressure from human encroachment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nevertheless, the competition for limited resources between humans and elephants co-habiting an overlapped landscape remains a leading cause of HEC (Morzillo et al, 2014;Shaffer et al, 2019). In spite of that, very few studies have explored the concepts of spatial distribution of HEC (Sitati et al, 2003;Morzillo et al, 2014;Chen et al, 2016;Kitratporn and Takeuchi, 2020), patterns of crop-raiding and prediction of HEC hotspots (Gubbi, 2012;Acharya et al, 2016;Chen et al, 2016;Naha et al, 2019) except for some studies on compensation distribution patterns (Karanth et al, 2012;Karanth et al, 2013;Sengupta et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Descriptive Spatial Analysis of Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) Distribution and Mapping HEC Hotspots in Keonjhar Forest Division, India

et al. 2021

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Escalation of human-elephant conflict (HEC) in India threatens its Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) population and victimizes local communities. India supports 60% of the total Asian elephant population in the world. Understanding HEC spatial patterns will ensure targeted mitigation efforts and efficient resource allocation to high-risk regions. This study deals with the spatial aspects of HEC in Keonjhar forest division, where 345 people were killed and 5,145 hectares of croplands were destroyed by elephant attacks during 2001–2018. We classified the data into three temporal phases (HEC1: 2001–2006, HEC2: 2007–2012, and HEC3: 2013–2018), in order to (1) derive spatial patterns of HEC; (2) identify the hotspots of HEC and its different types along with the number of people living in the high-risk zones; and (3) assess the temporal change in the spatial risk of HEC. Significantly dense clusters of HEC were identified in Keonjhar and Ghatgaon forest ranges throughout the 18 years, whereas Champua forest range became a prominent hotspot since HEC2. The number of people under HEC risk escalated from 14,724 during HEC1 and 34,288 in HEC2, to 65,444 people during HEC3. Crop damage was the most frequent form of HEC in the study area followed by house damage and loss of human lives. Risk mapping of HEC types and high priority regions that are vulnerable to HEC, provides a contextual background for researchers, policy makers and managers.

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Section: Strengths and Limitations Of The Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Descriptive Spatial Analysis of Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) Distribution and Mapping HEC Hotspots in Keonjhar Forest Division, India

et al. 2021

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“…We included land use land cover (LULC), slope, road, railway, human population density, and HEC density factors and categorized them to develop a resistance surface (Supplementary Figure S1). As HEC is a serious threat that can act as a movement barrier for elephants [18,21,22,77,78], a higher resistance value was assigned for areas with higher HEC density in order to estimate pathways that will have lesser interaction with human society.…”

Section: Landscape Connectivity Analysis 241 Resistance Surfacementioning

confidence: 99%

“…They are scattered among 13 range countries in Asia and occupy only 5% of their original habitat range [20]. India harbors 60% of the current Asian elephant population, but 70% of elephant habitats in India have been disturbed by escalating anthropogenic pressures, such as rising human population, economic development, agriculture, logging, and livestock raising [21,22]. These activities have not only fragmented elephant habitats, but also hindered elephant movement pathways, allowing room for greater contact between elephants and people, especially in human-dominated landscapes [23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of Landscape Connectivity among the Habitats of Asian Elephants in Keonjhar Forest Division, India

et al. 2021

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Land development has impacted natural landforms extensively, causing a decline in resources and negative consequences to elephant populations, habitats, and gene flow. Often, elephants seek to fulfill basic needs by wandering into nearby human communities, which leads to human–elephant conflict (HEC), a serious threat to conserving this endangered species. Understanding elephant space use and connectivity among their habitats can offset barriers to ecological flow among fragmented populations. We focused on the Keonjhar Forest Division in Eastern India, where HEC has resulted in the deaths of ~300 people and several hundred elephants, and damaged ~4100 houses and ~12,700 acres of cropland between 2001 and 2018. Our objectives were to (1) analyze elephant space use based on their occupancy; (2) map connectivity by considering the land structure and HEC occurrences; (3) assess the quality of mapped connectivity and identify potential bottlenecks. We found that (1) the study area has the potential to sustain a significant elephant population by providing safe connectivity; (2) variables like forests, precipitation, rural built-up areas, cropland, and transportation networks were responsible for predicting elephant presence (0.407, SE = 0.098); (3) five habitat cores, interconnected by seven corridors were identified, of which three habitat cores were vital for maintaining connectivity; (4) landscape features, such as cropland, rural built-up, mining, and transportation networks created bottlenecks that could funnel elephant movement. Our findings also indicate that overlooking HEC in connectivity assessments could lead to overestimation of functionality. The study outcomes can be utilized as a preliminary tool for decision making and early planning during development projects.

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Factors determining the seasonal habitat use of Asian elephants in the Western Ghats of India

et al. 2023

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Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) are globally endangered, and their populations persist in several meta‐populations within fragmented landscapes across their distribution. Developing landscape‐level management plans for elephants requires reliable information on the pattern and determinants of their distribution across relevant spatial and temporal scales. The Brahmagiri‐Nilgiri‐Eastern Ghats Landscape (Nilgiri landscape) of peninsular India supports the largest breeding population of Asian elephants globally. The Wayanad Plateau, a wet forest tract in the dry forest‐dominated Nilgiri landscape, witnessed extensive forest fragmentation recently and evolved as a forest‐agriculture matrix. We predicted that habitat use by elephants in the Wayanad Plateau would be high during summer because of the availability of numerous perennial streams and associated swamps that retain water and soil moisture for plant growth over the dry season. We also hypothesized that elephants would use areas with greater forest cover that are removed from human settlements. We used an occupancy‐based approach that accounts for detection probability to understand factors influencing habitat use by elephants in summer (low rainfall, high temperature) and post‐monsoon (largely rainless winter conditions but with abundant forage and water) in 2019 and 2020. As expected, the intensity of habitat use was higher during the summer than during the post‐monsoon season. Elephants used habitats near perennial water sources and with greater forest cover, avoiding areas with high human disturbances. We emphasize the importance of areas that provide key resources for elephants during resource scarcity and the need to prevent habitat degradation for long‐term persistence of elephants and mitigation of human–elephant conflict.

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Human-Elephant Conflict in Kerala, India: a Rapid Appraisal Using Compensation Records

Cited by 17 publications

References 24 publications

Descriptive Spatial Analysis of Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) Distribution and Mapping HEC Hotspots in Keonjhar Forest Division, India

Descriptive Spatial Analysis of Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) Distribution and Mapping HEC Hotspots in Keonjhar Forest Division, India

Analysis of Landscape Connectivity among the Habitats of Asian Elephants in Keonjhar Forest Division, India

Factors determining the seasonal habitat use of Asian elephants in the Western Ghats of India

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