Gandhinagar, Gujarat: 19^th Feb 2020: 

The Indian Government’s Proposal to get the Asiatic Elephants listed in CMS appendixes has been gaining ground and has been recommended by the Scientific Council. A proposal that will go a long way in the conservation of Asiatic Elephants of the subcontinent by transboundary co-operation among the range states with greater integrated conservation approach bolstered by this listing which is expected to happen in this COP.

Wildlife Trust of India has been working on elephant conservation since its inception hosted a side event yesterday ‘Elephant Conservation beyond Borders’ jointly with CMS, Project Elephant of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change of the Government of India and the Asian  Elephant Species Specialist Group of IUCN.

The panel comprised Vivek Menon (Chair, IUCN Asian ElephantSpecialist Group), Noyal Thomas (Inspector General, Project Elephant), Raquibul Amin (Country Representative, Bangladesh, IUCN), Ms. Andrea Dekrout (EU Programme Management Officer, CMS Secretariat), Sonam Wangdi (Chief Forestry Officer, Nature Conservation Division, Department of Forests and Park Services, Bhutan)..

Accentuating the need of transboundary co-operation and an integrated approach towards Asian Elephant Conservation beyond the borders of India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan, the panellists spoke about the current transboundary issues, the conservation efforts currently being undertaken and the efforts needed in the near future.

The IGPE stressed, “Human elephant conflict is escalated on the Nepal border due to a fence while on the Indo Bangladesh border, elephants find their corridor blocked due to human settlements that is increasingly causing conflict. We are close to getting the Asian Elephant listed in CMS which will help bolster Transboundary co-operation”.

Vivek Menon emphasised that the issues faced by Bangladesh (presented by Rafiqul Amin) are far more complex. However, incursions have also increased in Bhutan over time. We have been cajoling governments to come up with National Elephant Action Plans. Six of the range states have done this and we are hopeful more will follow through”.

India has also been helping neighbouring countries with technical and capacity building support towards elephant conservation.  Sonam Wangdi from Bhutan proposed a trans-boundary peace park across the Indo –Bhutan landscape that is a prime habitat for elephants traversing these borders.

While the CMS listing will be a shot in the arm towards Asian Elephant Conservation in Asia, hope also lies in solutions such as the transboundary peace park and community based conservation initiatives in Bangladesh.