Human–wildlife conflicts and management options in Bangladesh, with special reference to Asian elephants (Elephas maximus)

Abstract

In this study, we explored the interaction between humans and Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). We analysed local mitigation techniques and propose possible measures to reduce human-elephant conflicts. For four protected areas in Bangladesh, we investigated how people interact with elephants and other crop-damaging species. Crop-damaging species differed from site to site, but elephants were generally the most frequent offenders. Although some people were able to control crop damage caused by other wildlife, damage caused by wild elephants was mostly uncontrollable. Forest villagers were somewhat tolerant of damage caused by other wildlife but they were not tolerant of damage caused by wild elephants. Tolerance of crop damage caused by wildlife other than wild elephants tended to increase with distance of respondents from protected areas. Non-tolerance of crop damage caused by wildlife was more common in southeast Bangladesh than in the north. Habitat destruction, caused by high population growth and poverty, appeared to be a major cause for increasing human-elephant conflict. There is an urgent need for adoption of an umbrella strategy (e.g. estimate the size of elephant populations, develop landscape-scale conservation plans and create forest buffer zones under community-based natural resource management schemes) in the use of conflict mitigation as a conservation tool for Asian elephants.

Perceptions of farmers in Bangladesh to Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus) as an Agricultural Pest in

“…Elephants are in conflict with humans in almost all of their ranges in Bangladesh (Sarker & Røskaft, 2010), and crop depredation by elephants is the most common cause of such conflicts (Sarker & Røskaft, 2011a). Crop damage caused by wild elephants occurs mainly in the transition zones between farms and elephant habitats (Sukumar, 1989).…”

Protected Area Versus People Conflict and a Co-Management Programme: A Case Study from the Dhudpukuria-Dhopachari Wildlife Sanctuary, Bangladesh

“…Therefore, agricultural crop damage caused by wild elephants has been identified as one of the major factors to accelerate the conflict between park and people in DDWS. Villagers who are living closer to the park boundaries complained more of problems with crop raiding by wild animals, particularly wild elephants, compared to those living farther away from the park boundaries (Sarker & Røskaft, 2011) and their perceptions vary mostly based on the financial status of respondents (Infield, 1988). Poor immigrant people faced more crop raiding problems, frequently due to different crop raiders that include wild elephants, wild boar, porcupine, birds, rats, etc., since they lived closer to the park boundaries (Sarker & Røskaft, 2011).…”

“…Villagers who are living closer to the park boundaries complained more of problems with crop raiding by wild animals, particularly wild elephants, compared to those living farther away from the park boundaries (Sarker & Røskaft, 2011) and their perceptions vary mostly based on the financial status of respondents (Infield, 1988). Poor immigrant people faced more crop raiding problems, frequently due to different crop raiders that include wild elephants, wild boar, porcupine, birds, rats, etc., since they lived closer to the park boundaries (Sarker & Røskaft, 2011). Therefore, they expressed their inability to control the crop damage, which formed their negative attitudes towards crop damage and ultimately causes the conflict between humans and wildlife, especially with wild elephants.…”

Taking the Elephants' Perspective: Remembering Elephant Behavior, Cognition and Ecology in Human-Elephant Conflict Mitigation

“…Repellents Chili pepper gas disperser (Le Bel et al, 2015), burning chilies and dung (Osborn and Parker, 2002), chili bombs (dried chilis combined with dung and water) (Jones and Elliott, 2006), vehicular disturbance (Hahn et al, 2016), pipe cannon (Asimopoulos, 2016), burning wood or bamboo (Osborn and Parker, 2002;Fernando et al, 2008), spotlights (Zimmermann et al, 2009;Raihan Sarker and Røskaft, 2010).…”