Jumbo rise in elephant corridors (New Delhi) Daily Pioneer September 14, 2023 Since 2010, India has seen a remarkable increase in elephant corridors, rising from 88 to a commendable 150. These vital land strips span across 15 range-States within four elephant-rich regions, providing unimpeded pathways for these majestic creatures. This progress is a testament to the combined efforts of State forest departments and Project Elephant, as emphasised by officials from the Union Environment Ministry. They underscore the imperative to establish secure migratory routes for elephants, ultimately mitigating human-elephant conflicts. A thorough examination of the report, titled “Elephant Corridors of India,” reveals that while 69 corridors have witnessed unhampered movement of elephants, 29 have seen an uptick in their utilisation. Movement has remained stable in 29 corridors, whereas in 29 others, elephant traffic has decreased. Out of the total corridors, 15 have been compromised and necessitate restoration efforts to regain full functionality. Information regarding the current usage of 18 corridors by elephants was not available. In India, approximately 400 people and 100 elephants fall victim to man-animal conflicts each year. This peril is poised to escalate as elephants increasingly contend with their habitats being fragmented by rapid urbanisation, highways, and industrial expansion like mining. Moreover, climate change-induced temperature fluctuations and extreme weather conditions exacerbate their plight due to resource and fodder shortages. Among the four regions in India known for their elephant populations, the east-central region leads with an impressive 52 elephant corridors, followed by the northeast with 48, and the southern region with 32. The northern region lags behind with only 18 elephant corridors. An authentic elephant corridor serves as a land strip facilitating the movement of elephants between two or more viable habitat patches. Corridors that lead animals into human-dominated areas without connecting to suitable habitat patches are not deemed true elephant corridors. Demographic isolation and concerns about genetic viability pose a significant extinction risk to elephant populations. Therefore, safeguarding these corridors stands as a pivotal conservation strategy, as highlighted in the report, which defines a corridor as a land strip enabling the movement of elephants between viable habitat patches. As of the last estimation in 2017, India is home to around 30,000 elephants, constituting 60 per cent of the global elephant population. West Bengal leads the nation with the highest number of elephant corridors, accounting for over 17 percent of such crucial land patches. States where elephants have recently expanded their ranges, such as the Vidarbha region in Maharashtra adjacent to Chhattisgarh, southern Maharashtra adjoining Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh (where elephants presently inhabit Bandhavgarh and Sanjay tiger reserves), and northern Andhra Pradesh (where elephants migrate in from Odisha), must assess the long-term viability of habitats to sustain elephant populations. Adopting a data-driven approach to identify corridors is paramount in these regions, as articulated in the report. Furthermore, the report notes that data on elephant movement remains limited in many northeastern States hosting relatively small elephant populations. https://www.dailypioneer.com/2023/page1/jumbo-rise-in-elephant-corridors.html