China's wild elephants seek room to roam as habitats shrink
China's wild elephants seek room to roam as habitats shrink
David Stanway, Reuters
July 20, 2021
See link
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/chinas-wild-elephants-seek-room-roam-habitats-shrink-2021-07-20/
for photos & video.
XISHUANGBANNA, CHINA: Under a footbridge in southwest China's Yunnan
province, a lone female elephant makes a rare appearance at a clearing on
the edge of thick forest, ignoring the heavy rain and the gathering crowds
to graze and bathe in the chocolate-coloured water.
Usually, visitors hoping to spot the animals should wait until February or
March, when the females are seeking mates, said Qin Ganglin, a protection
officer at the Wild Elephant Valley in Yunnan's Xishuangbanna region, on
the border with Laos and Myanmar.
"They don't come out very often right now, and only sporadically," he said.
Human interactions with the typically elusive elephants have come under
fresh scrutiny after a herd of 16 Asian elephants left Xishuangbanna last
year, with most of them migrating 500 km (311 miles) north to the outskirts
of Yunnan's capital, Kunming, turning them into a media sensation.
How Xishuangbanna protects its elephants and natural ecosystems will also
set the tone for China's overall efforts to change its relationship with
nature, especially after the emergence of COVID-19 exposed the health risks
that arise from habitat destruction.
Xishuangbanna's elephants have more than doubled to about 300 in the past
20 years, a sign of success in rehabilitating herds, and the migrating
group was likely seeking more space, especially as the amount of land
suitable for them has dwindled by 40% over those two decades.
China's National Forestry and Grassland Commission, which is responsible
for habitat protection, did not respond to requests for comment, but state
news agency Xinhua said this week that "preparatory work" has already begun
to establish a national park in Yunnan to improve conditions for the
elephants.
Experts say the move is long overdue.
"We are trying to return them back to their old habitats," said Zhou
Jinfeng, Secretary-General of the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green
Development Foundation (CBCGDF), a non-government environmental group.
"We think the habitat is not big enough and not good enough and we need to
help the elephants find a new one."
A biodiversity hot spot, Xishuangbanna has drawn up "red lines" to separate
humans from vulnerable ecosystems. But the expansion of monoculture
farming, where fields are dedicated to single crops like tea and rubber, as
well as the construction of giant transportation projects in the region,
have disrupted the elephants' grazing and roaming routes.
Room to Roam
One of the biggest disruptions is the Jinghong Hydropower Plant. Zhou of
CBCGDF said the dam and reservoir has made the Mekong river, which cuts
through the region, impossible for elephants to cross, further fragmenting
their habitats.
"During the (environmental impact) assessment, there were some experts
talking about how the reservoir would stop the elephants' migration," Zhou
said. "But these comments were not included in the assessment."
State power giant Huaneng, which built the plant, did not respond to
requests for comment.
Xishuangbanna residents told Reuters that elephant sightings have dwindled
since 2007, when the hydroelectric plant was completed.
"They used to roam here when my parents set up home," said Zhou Hongbing,
who lives on a farmstead close to the dam. "Since the hydropower plant was
built they haven't been able to cross the river."
Qin from Wild Elephant Valley said it was "hard to say" what impact the
hydropower plant has had on migration routes, but said it must have been a
consideration when the plant was built. He also noted that tea plantations
have eroded some parts of the elephant protection zone. Extensive rubber
planting throughout the region has also disrupted feeding and roaming
habits.
Experts also point to Xishuangbanna's extensive reforestation efforts,
which have reduced the grassland where elephants graze.
Zhou said any new national park would have to connect all the existing,
fragmented elephant habitats and give elephants the room to roam and the
food to forage. "If the numbers double again within the next 50 years, we
need to have plenty of room in Yunnan," he said.