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Time of India

Forest dept & IISc experts take up Rs 4.7-crore study to reduce human-elephant conflict

Bengaluru: Exploring scientific solutions to reduce human-elephant conflict across Karnataka, the forest department Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) for landscape-level conservation of Asian elephants. Renowned ecologist and elephant expert from IISc, Prof Raman Sukumar, and Karnataka chief wildlife warden Prabhash Chandra Ray signed the commencement of the Rs 4.7-crore project, fully funded by the forest department. Admitting an increase in elephant conflicts across Karnataka, forest minister Eshwar Khandre attributed the problem to urbanisation, which has resulted in the fragmentation of elephant habitats. "Expressways have come up on the elephant corridor, developmental works have come up. All these have pushed elephants out of forests into human habitats, forcing us to coexist with each other. There 's an urgent need to create awareness on how to coexist," he pointed out, stating that over 150 elephants in just Hassan and Kodagu are living outside of forests. Prof Sukumar said, "As instances of conflict are being reported everywhere, we need to scientifically understand why this is happening and then take management actions. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 I migliori asset da tenere d'occhio prima della fine del 2025 eToro Market Updates Scopri di più Undo We can't eliminate the conflict completely, but we can bring it to a tolerable level. As part of the programme, scientific studies will be conducted in all elephant habitats, especially the Mysore elephant reserve, which has India's highest elephant population, and we'll look at a variety of management methods to mitigate conflicts. " You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru The five-year study will address strengthening habitat connectivity by mapping elephant corridors and evaluating barriers using satellite telemetry, monitoring demographic and physiological health of jumbos, understanding behaviour and conflict propensity, elephant communication and acoustic monitoring, and predictive modelling of conflict hotspots. The project also involves a biannual review of the study, annual reports, and a real-time data dashboard.