Relevance: GS III (Environment & Biodiversity) | Source: The Hindu

1. The Big News: The ‘Jumbo Crisis’

Recently, human-elephant clashes have caused several tragic deaths in Jharkhand and West Bengal. The situation became so bad that local authorities in Jharkhand had to declare an “elephant emergency.”

• A New Trend: Small groups of elephants are now wandering into new areas like Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Historically, elephants were rarely seen in these states.

2. Why is this Conflict Happening? (The Root Causes)

Elephants are peaceful animals, but human activities have forced them out of their natural homes.

• Losing Homes to Mining: Massive coal and iron ore mines, along with big water dams, have destroyed the thick forests where these elephants used to live.
• Roads and Railway Lines: Long highways and railway tracks cut directly through the jungles. This divides the forest into small pieces and blocks the natural walking paths of the elephants.
• Lack of Natural Food: Many forests today only grow one type of commercial tree (monoculture). These trees do not provide the natural grass and leaves that elephants eat.
• Forced to Eat Human Crops: Because their forest homes have no food left, new generations of elephants have forgotten how to find wild food. They are now completely dependent on raiding farmers’ agricultural fields to survive.

3. How is the Government Protecting Them?

• The Strictest Law: The Indian Elephant is given the highest possible legal protection under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Harming them is a severe crime.
• Project Elephant (1992): This is a major scheme funded by the Central Government. Its main goal is to protect wild elephants, their forest homes, and their natural travel routes.
• Growing Elephant Food: The forest department, along with local village communities, is trying to plant natural “elephant fodder” (food) deep inside the jungles so the animals do not have to come out to the villages.

4. What More Needs to be Done?

• Restoring Broken Forests: We need to urgently rebuild destroyed forests. However, scientists warn that growing a proper forest takes 20 to 40 years.
• Protecting ‘Elephant Corridors’: Just saving a forest is not enough. We must strictly protect the narrow green paths (corridors) that connect two different forests, allowing elephants to travel safely without entering human settlements.

UPSC Value Box

With reference to the conservation of elephants and the Human-Elephant Conflict in India, consider the following statements:

1. The Indian Elephant is listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
2. ‘Project Elephant’ is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme launched primarily to protect elephants, their habitats, and natural corridors.
3. The term “Stateless Elephants” refers specifically to captive elephants brought into India from foreign countries without legal documents.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer: (a)