Syllabus: GS-III: Human Environment Interaction

Why is this in the news?

 In Goalpara district of Assam, the rising Human–Elephant Conflict (HEC) has prompted an integrated approach combining technology, ecology, infrastructure, and community participation. The district administration, in collaboration with forest officials, researchers, and local NGOs, has initiated a pilot project at the Agia Elephant Underpass to encourage elephants to cross safely — alongside scaling up the long-running Hati Bandhu initiative, which promotes coexistence through habitat enrichment near human settlements.

Understanding the Conflict

• Human–Elephant Conflict (HEC) refers to encounters between people and elephants resulting from shrinking forests, corridor fragmentation, and agricultural expansion.
• In Goalpara, herds often migrate from Meghalaya into Assam’s Rangjuli, Krishnai, and Lakhipur ranges, particularly during post-monsoon months when paddy ripens.
• Between 2019 and 2024, Assam recorded 383 human deaths caused by elephant encounters, with Goalpara being one of the worst-affected districts.

Key Measures and Interventions

1. Solar Fencing & Community Vigil

• Around 67.55 km of low-voltage solar fencing has been set up and handed over to village committees.
• The ‘Gaja Mitra’ youth network conducts night patrols and herd-diversion drives but needs stronger institutional backing and equipment support.

2. Early Warning Systems

• Tools like HaatiApp, police wireless, and WhatsApp-based communication networks have improved community preparedness, though a centralized control desk is yet to be established.
• AI-based railway intrusion sensors have been deployed to prevent elephant-train collisions by the Northeast Frontier Railway, though coverage remains limited.

3. Hati Bandhu Initiative – Coexistence through Food and Foresight

• The Hati Bandhu (Friends of Elephants) initiative, launched by  Hati Bandhu NGO, introduced an innovative habitat-enrichment model.
• It involves cultivating Napier grass and forest fruit species (like bael, banana, and jackfruit) in plains adjacent to human settlements, creating buffer feeding zones.
• The aim is to divert elephants away from croplands by ensuring access to preferred natural food sources, reducing the lure of paddy fields.
• Hati Bandhus — trained community volunteers — monitor herd movement, raise early alerts, assist in compensation processes, and spread awareness about non-provocative behaviour towards elephants.
• The initiative has since been integrated into Assam’s broader conflict mitigation plan, linking conservation with local livelihood programmes such as fodder cultivation and eco-restoration.

Agia Elephant Underpass Pilot Project

• As part of a highway expansion in 2021, an Elephant Underpass (EUP) was constructed at the Agia Flyover, but herds initially avoided it due to its artificial design and unfamiliar texture.
• A seven-day pilot project now aims to condition wild elephants to use it:
  
  • Pet elephant cues – A trained elephant will leave footprints, dung, and scent trails to signal safety.
  • Food baits – Bananas, jaggery, and salt will be placed inside the underpass.
  • Habitat mimicry – Entry and exit points will be softened with Napier grass, banana plants, and native trees like dimoru to recreate forest continuity.
  • Behavioural observation – Changes in herd movement will be monitored and documented.

Expert Insights and Community Role

• Padma Shri Dr. Kushal Konwar Sharma, known as India’s Elephant Doctor, stresses that elephants depend more on smell and feel than sight — “If the passage feels natural, they’ll walk through it.”
  
• Local NGO Ajagar advocates for Napier grass cultivation and forest restoration to deter elephants from croplands.
  
• The administration plans a mass awareness drive before the 2025 harvest, involving schools, village committees, and Hati Bandhu volunteers.
  
• A District HEC Task Force under the DDMA will coordinate hotspot mapping, fence maintenance, and risk calendars.
  

Policy and Framework Linkages

• Aligned with Project Elephant (MoEFCC), the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and India’s Elephant Corridor Conservation Plan.
  
• The Hati Bandhu model embodies the goals of the National Biodiversity Action Plan (NBAP) and Project Green India, promoting participatory habitat restoration.
  
• Reinforces Assam’s commitment to the State Human–Wildlife Conflict Mitigation Policy by balancing community welfare with conservation.
  

Why it Matters

• Protects human lives and rural livelihoods by reducing elephant intrusions.
  
• Ensures ecological balance by restoring natural elephant foraging zones.
  
• Promotes coexistence-based conservation through local empowerment and innovation.
  
• The Goalpara model could be replicated in other high-conflict districts like Sonitpur, Nagaon, and Udalguri.
  

Exam Hook – Key Takeaways

• Hati Bandhu (2008) introduced Napier grass and fruit cultivation as a natural deterrent to crop raids, merging conservation with livelihood generation.
  
• The Agia Underpass Pilot represents a new era of wildlife-friendly infrastructure rooted in ecological psychology.
  
• Together, they form a replicable template for mitigating human–elephant conflict across India’s elephant corridors.
  

Mains Question
“Discuss how initiatives like Hati Bandhu and innovations such as the Agia Elephant Underpass reflect India’s evolving approach to human–elephant coexistence.”

One-line wrap:
From Napier grass fields to elephant underpasses, Goalpara’s story shows that when empathy meets innovation, coexistence becomes possible.

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