Ranging behavior of the Asian elephant in Sri Lanka

Fernando, Prithiviraj; Wikramanayake, Eric; Janaka, H. K.; Jayasinghe, L.K.A.; Gunawardena, Manori; Kotagama, Sarath W.; Weerakoon, Dushni; Pastorini, Jennifer

doi:10.1016/j.mambio.2007.07.007

Cited by 112 publications

(115 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Large-bodied mammals fit this description perfectly as they have extensive home ranges (Karanth and Sunquist, 2000;Crooks, 2002;Fernando et al, 2008b), and are intrinsically rare and extinction prone . To meet the habitat requirements of such species, many of which are endangered, conservation programs are increasingly expanding their scale of focus from individual protected areas to heterogeneous landscapes (Sanderson et al, 2002;Wikramanayake et al, 2004).…”

Section: Landscape-scale Conservation Involves Multiple Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 73%

Triage of Conservation Needs: The Juxtaposition of Conflict Mitigation and Connectivity Considerations in Heterogeneous, Human-Dominated Landscapes

Goswami

Vasudev

2017

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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Conservation of wide-ranging endangered species is increasingly focused on large heterogeneous landscapes. At such scales, particularly when conservation landscapes are human dominated, it is imperative that prioritization techniques be used to allocate limited resources wisely. Moreover, spatial aspects of conservation planning warrant key consideration within these landscapes, such that certain sites that are key to either mitigating threats to species or to maintaining ecological processes, are prioritized. However, there are often multiple conservation needs, and multiple associated constraints, for species conservation in such landscapes. While there are tools to prioritize sites based on single or few conservation requirements and constraints, there is less knowledge on how these conservation needs, or corresponding management interventions, relate to each other in a scenario where conservation focus on one issue potentially detracts from another. We take the specific example of two conservation needs that are central to landscape-scale conservation of the endangered Asian elephant Elephas maximus, namely the maintenance of connectivity, and the mitigation of human-elephant conflict. We show that conservation decision making, in addition to considering which species and sites to focus on, should also prioritize conservation needs. We review documentation of conflict mitigation and examine if the maintenance of connectivity was simultaneously addressed, and if so, whether optimal conservation solutions differed when connectivity considerations were included. We conclude with a discussion on the triage of conservation needs, and future prospects and challenges in ensuring that landscape-scale conservation strategies account for multiple interacting conservation needs for endangered species in heterogeneous human-dominated landscapes.

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Section: Landscape-scale Conservation Involves Multiple Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 73%

Triage of Conservation Needs: The Juxtaposition of Conflict Mitigation and Connectivity Considerations in Heterogeneous, Human-Dominated Landscapes

Goswami

Vasudev

2017

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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“…Similarly, mammals of large body size that have the ability to range over long distances are able to compensate for localized shortages in food and water. Cases in point are the well documented movements of elephants (and to a lesser extent buffalo) that shift seasonally over long distances between permanent sources of water and fodder (Eisenberg and Lockhart, 1972;McKay, 1973;McKay and Eisenberg, 1974;Ishwaran, 1983;Fernando et al, 2008;Pastorini et al, 2010Pastorini et al, , 2013. Elephants prefer to graze (Ishwaran, 1983) but during dry seasons may browse and cause considerable damage to tree crowns (Mueller-Dombois, 1972).…”

Section: Carrying Capacity For Mammals Of the Dry Zonementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Elephants prefer to graze (Ishwaran, 1983) but during dry seasons may browse and cause considerable damage to tree crowns (Mueller-Dombois, 1972). The elephants' search for water and fodder may bring them into conflict with humans outside of protected areas (Fernando et al, 2008).…”

Section: Carrying Capacity For Mammals Of the Dry Zonementioning

confidence: 99%

The biogeography and ecology of Sri Lankan mammals point to conservation priorities

Dittus

2017

Ceylon J. Sci.

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All mammals originated on the supercontinent of Pangaea in the Mesozoic era during the "Age of Reptiles." However, the crown ancestors of contemporary mammals did not flourish until major environmental and biotic changes had occurred. An asteroid collided with earth at the end of the Cretaceous Period (the K-Pg boundary event) wiping out nonflying dinosaurs and primitive mammals. It was followed by large-scale volcanism, a spike in atmospheric oxygen and the proliferation of flowering plants. New niches became available for the ancestors of today's mammals to fill. Evidence suggesting whether the ancestors of the Sri Lankan and Indian mammals originated on the tectonically marooned Indian plate before crashing into Asia or on the Laurasian supercontinent is inconclusive. Modern Sri Lankan mammals show their greatest affinity with those of southern India, and were more diverse in the Pleistocene when rhinoceros, hippopotamus, wild dogs, gaur and lions enriched the island's landscapes. Native Sri Lankan land-based mammals are diversified into about 108 unique taxa (among 91 species and 53 genera), differentiated as phenotypic adaptations to sharply contrasting environments among seven major phyto-climatic zones. Endemic subspecies are distributed fairly equally across different phyto-climatic zones (n=24 to 29), except in the highlands where they are fewer (n=14) having evolved rapidly to species and genera among the insectivores and rodents whose reproductive rates are high. Conversely, greater numbers of endemic species (n=13) and genera (n=3) occur in the highlands than in the other zones (2-6 endemic species, no endemic genera). The prevalence of endemism is inversely related to body size or vagility. This suggests a greater probability of genetic exchange among distant populations of large bodied mobile mammals within Sri Lanka, as well as with Indian fauna during periods of land bridges in the Pleistocene. Most (8 of 13) endangered and critically endangered endemic mammals occur in the wet montane regions that offer the least Protected Areas (PAs). More than 85% of PAs occur in the extensive dry zone about half of which is not suited for water dependent mammals whose distributions are restricted to alluvial forests (less than 1% of PAs). Historically, the national cost of conservation has been low and therefore politically palatable. Current conservation urgently requires a major change in management policy combined with realistic investment to prevent extinctions of many endemic mammals and other unique Sri Lankan biota.

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“…Some studies on the ranging patterns of Asian elephants have suggested that Indian elephants migrate (Sukumar 1989;Baskaran et al 1993;Datye & Bhagwat 1995) and others that they do not (Easa 1988;Joshua & Johnsingh 1993). Radio tracking studies in Sri Lanka have conclusively proven that Sri Lankan elephants do not migrate, but instead have circumscribed ranges to which they show high fidelity (Fernando et al, 2008a). However they may show seasonal movement in response to agricultural patterns, moving out of areas when they are seasonally cultivated and moving back after harvest (Pastorini et al, 2013).…”

Section: Home Rangesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Home ranges of Asian elephants also show wide variation with ranges of over 4,000 km 2 being reported from North-east India and 30-50 km 2 from North-central India and Malaysia (Olivier 1978;Joshua & Johnsingh 1993). The home ranges of Sri Lankan elephants vary from about 50 to 400 km 2 (Fernando et al, 2008a). Therefore, elephant conservation and management has to be of an appropriate scale and requires a landscape approach.…”

Section: Home Rangesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Managing elephants in Sri Lanka: where we are and where we need to be

Fernando

2015

Ceylon J. Sci. (Biol. Sci.)

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Asian elephants are 'endangered' but come into significant conflict with humans. Sri Lanka holds an important position in relation to Asian elephants, both in terms of species conservation and human-elephant conflict mitigation. Historical aspects of the two main conservation agencies in Sri Lanka and difficulty of coordination between them has prevented a landscape level holistic approach to conservation in general and elephants in particular. The primary objective of elephant management is human-elephant conflict mitigation and secondarily elephant conservation. Many human-elephant conflict mitigation activities are ineffective and in some cases cause its escalation and wider spread. Others are extremely detrimental to elephant conservation. Effective human-elephant conflict mitigation and elephant conservation requires a paradigm change. Elephant management needs to be based on science and evidence rather than outdated beliefs and false assumptions. Unless immediate and effective remedial measures are taken, human-elephant conflict will continue to escalate and the elephant population continue to decline.

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Ranging behavior of the Asian elephant in Sri Lanka

Cited by 112 publications

References 42 publications

Triage of Conservation Needs: The Juxtaposition of Conflict Mitigation and Connectivity Considerations in Heterogeneous, Human-Dominated Landscapes

Triage of Conservation Needs: The Juxtaposition of Conflict Mitigation and Connectivity Considerations in Heterogeneous, Human-Dominated Landscapes

The biogeography and ecology of Sri Lankan mammals point to conservation priorities

Managing elephants in Sri Lanka: where we are and where we need to be

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