Anoop Nadukkalathil Ravi
Other projects
1 Aug 2019
Developing a Comprehensive Conservation Plan to Reduce Human-Elephant Conflict in Wayanad Plateau: A Rapidly Degrading Summer Range of Asian Elephants, India
6 May 2021
Conservation of Asian Elephants through Community Awareness and Identification of Crop-Raiding Elephants to Mitigate Human-Elephant Conflict in Wayanad Plateau
13 Dec 2022
Assessing the Impact of the Invasive Tree Senna spectabilis on Elephant Habitat and Mitigation of Human-Elephant Conflict in Wayanad Plateau
Kerala state, nestled within the Western Ghats Biodiversity hotspot in South India, serves as a globally significant habitat for the Asian elephant. The elephant populations within the state are spread across four Elephant Reserves (ERs): Wayanad, Nilambur, Anamudi, and Periyar. Despite its rich biodiversity, Kerala’s elephants face a range of challenges, including escalating human-elephant conflict (HEC), habitat degradation, the spread of invasive plants, forest fires, habitat fragmentation, rapid urbanization, emerging infectious diseases, and poaching for ivory.
An adult male elephant (approximately 35 years old) commonly observed in the Thirunelli-Kudrakote elephant corridor in Wayanad. Known locally as 'Kannan,' he has been observed in the corridor and Brahmagiri hills for over a decade. @Anoop NR.
The 2017 survey reported 5,706 wild elephants in the state, but by 2023, this number plummeted to 2,386, a decline of 41.8%. HEC has intensified in the recent past, claiming 105 human lives between 2019 and 2023 and resulting in economic losses totalling USD 467,194.2 due to crop and property damage (Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department, 2023). Additionally, 283 elephants died between 2021 and 2023. The Wayanad ER, covering an area of 1,339.3 km², reports the highest HEC incidents in the state. Most cultivators in Wayanad are small-scale farmers, including indigenous tribal communities, whose livelihoods are seriously affected by regular crop raids by elephants. To address this pressing issue, innovative, community-driven solutions are essential to mitigate conflict and foster coexistence. Previous research suggests cultivating unpalatable crops and promoting beekeeping can reduce conflict (see Dharmarathne et al. 2020; King et al. 2009). Our fieldwork since 2016 noted that elephants do not prefer avocados and lemons in Wayanad.
Given these contexts, this project aims to: (1) Introduce ecologically suitable, economically valuable fruit crops, such as avocado and lemon, which are unpalatable to elephants, and promote experimental beekeeping in conflict hotspots to provide alternative livelihoods and reduce HEC; (2) Assess current HEC and its drivers across diverse regions in the Wayanad Elephant Reserve; (3) train forest department staff and local communities to manage conflicts effectively and implement sustainable solutions; (4) encourage community-led habitat restoration initiatives to improve elephant habitats and reduce conflict. By combining scientific research, community participation, and innovative conflict mitigation strategies, this project aims to protect Kerala’s elephants and their habitat while supporting the livelihoods of local communities.