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Elephants in conflict PDF Print E-mail

Exploding human populations, rising consumption of natural resources and the expansion of human activities into previously remote areas is continuing to deplete and further fragment traditional elephant habitat, causing conflict and loss of life. Practical solutions and imaginative new ideas are needed if we are to make a difference. Even more important we, human beings, must begin to curb our excesses and live in balance with available natural resources, if we want to safe-guard ecosystems for elephants, other species, and ultimately, for ourselves.

The conflict between elephants and people has two faces. People endure loss of life and property and elephants suffer injuries and mortalities. Just as in negotiating between warring human societies, promoting co-existence between two species requires an understanding of the needs of the protagonists.

Conservationists, wildlife managers and funding agencies have tended to focus on mitigating the symptoms of human-elephant conflict, through erecting barriers, developing deterrents and early warning systems, rather than managing or eliminating the conflict's ultimate causes. The root causes of the growing conflict between elephants and people are exploding human populations and poor land use - topics that few are willing to confront.

Read the story about the calf that got stuck in the well here.
The resulting unsustainable use of natural resources means the rapid loss and fragmentation of habitat and, as a result, the cultivation of nutritious crops adjacent to small pockets of elephant habitat. As elephants run out of space, it is little wonder that they turn to cultivation, rich in calories and in easily harvestable clusters. Such elephant delights are especially difficult for risk-taking and fast-growing males to avoid.

We must urgently develop and implement land use that takes account of the collective needs of elephants and people if we are reduce long-term conflict and promote more harmonious co-existence. This means that we must stop the indiscriminant destruction of forests, prevent the haphazard development of human settlements, stop the construction of roads and railways in elephant habitat, as well as the depletion of natural water sources. Ultimately, we need to get a grip on our population growth because, never mind the elephants, our very survival depends on it. Taking action now to limit the world's human population could help to avoid a human (and habitat) catastrophe. Not taking action now is a violation of our children's and our grandchildren's human rights.

ElephantVoices standpoint is that the root cause of conflict is not elephants, but increasing human populations and our unsustainable consumption of the planet's natural resources; we must collectively take urgent action to curb our excessive lifestyles, aim for zero population growth and live in balance with available natural resources.

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Last Updated on Wednesday, 17 June 2009 14:11
 
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