Dehradun: Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said that effective management of human-wildlife conflict is critical to the success of wildlife conservation programmes.
Steering the 21st committee meeting of “Project Elephant” at the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA), Dehradun, Bhupender Yadav underlined the importance of making local communities active partners in wildlife conservation, especially in areas severely affected by human-wildlife conflict.
The Minister also called for improving the working conditions and ensuring the social security of frontline forest staff and ground-level conservation workers.
The meeting brought together senior officials, scientists, and field experts from elephant range states, along with representatives from key conservation institutions, to review the progress of Project Elephant and to deliberate on the way forward for elephant conservation in India.
The meeting also placed strong emphasis on human-elephant conflict, which continues to pose a significant challenge to both human safety and elephant conservation.
Stressing the importance of awareness generation, Yadav urged for coordinated efforts with Indian Railways, the Ministry of Power, NHAI and mine developers to reduce human-wildlife conflict.
The meeting included updates on key initiatives such as the preparation of Regional Action Plans on Human-Elephant Conflict in Southern and North-Eastern India. The completion of surveys covering 3,452.4 km of sensitive railway stretches, with 77 high-risk areas identified for mitigation, and the progress of DNA profiling of captive elephants, with 1,911 genetic profiles completed across 22 States.
The Committee noted that Phase-I of the synchronized elephant population estimation in the North-Eastern States had been completed, with over 16,500 dung samples collected.
In a statement, the Ministry said the work is also progressing on the Model Elephant Conservation Plan (ECP) for the Nilgiri Elephant Reserve, which is expected to be finalised by December 2025.
Important documents were released during the meeting, including a report on suggested measures to mitigate Elephant-Train collisions; a comprehensive study on 23 years of human-elephant conflict in Assam, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh; an advisory on safe tusk trimming practices for captive elephants, and the latest edition of Trumpet, the Project Elephant quarterly newsletter.
Key Highlights of the meeting
Documents Released Included:
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