Government urged to treat Assam’s elephant conflict as disaster

GUWAHATI: Biodiversity conservation organization Aaranyak has advocated for treating the escalating human-elephant conflict in the state as a ‘disaster’ situation, arguing that casualties on both sides in recent years have surpassed deaths due to natural disasters like floods in the state.
Aaranyak has also asked for allocation of funds by multiple government departments for compensation of damage, including human deaths, due to the conflict.

“The entire conflict situation needs to be given disaster status and funds need to be procured accordingly from concerned departments. The conflict is no longer only under the purview of the forest department and the department alone cannot tackle it. It has taken a disastrous proportion in recent times, and multiple departments should step in to mitigate the crisis,” Aaranyak secretary general Bibhab Kumar Talukdar said.

Prioritizing the thrust areas of conservation for stakeholders, Aaranyak highlighted the need for the kind of commitment in tackling the human-elephant conflict as the government showed in rhino conservation, which has led to a reduction in rhino poaching over the last two years.

According to Aaranyak’s assessment, 64 humans and 53 elephants were killed in various parts of the state last year, surpassing the casualty figure in the devastating flood that hit the state last monsoon. Altogether 53 people died due to drowning and landslides in three waves of flood that ravaged the state between June and September in 2018.

The human-elephant conflict has worsened particularly in Udalguri, Sonitpur, Nagaon, Karbi Anglong, Golaghat and Goalpara districts in recent times.

“We all know that the main reason for such an increase in the level of conflict is due to rapid decline of forest cover in parts of Assam, loss of traditional elephant movement paths due to linear infrastructure development projects and also human encroachment,” Talukdar said.

The organisation has also stressed on the need to lessen pressure of human activities around the Kaziranga National Park, home to two-third of the world’s one-horned rhino population, saying increased pressure does not augur well for the park in the long run. “The most effective way to lessen the pressure on Kaziranga is to develop and promote other national parks and wildlife sanctuaries like Manas, Orang, Pabitora, Nameri, Dibru-Saikhowa and others,” the organisation said.