Kaziranga, 17th April 2024: 55 representatives from 12 of the 13 Asian elephant range countries, members of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Asian Elephant Specialist Group (AsESG) members, other elephant experts, state forest departments, and non-governmental organisations came together for an international workshop on human-elephant conflict mitigation in Kaziranga, Assam from March 29-31, 2024.

The workshop is the first event hosted by the Center for Species Survival: Asian Elephant (CSS: AsE), a partnership between the IUCN SSC, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

CSS: AsE, hosted by WTI in India, serves as a collaborative range-wide resource centre for Asian elephant conservation collaborators. Established in 2023, it aims to facilitate the exchange of scientific knowledge and conservation solutions among stakeholders in Asian elephant range countries.

The workshop is the first event hosted by CSS:AsE

The workshop focused on formulating guidelines to understand and aid the development of various human-elephant conflict mitigation strategies adopted across various range countries. The group deliberated on the issues and challenges and discussed holistic mitigation strategies for successfully reducing conflict by various countries such as the use of chain-link electric fencing and hanging fences, compensation mechanisms to address human-elephant conflict, the establishment of early warning systems, and the integration of technology in human-elephant conflict management.

“It was good to get the Center for Species Survival: Asian Elephant off the ground with full participation by range countries and AsESG members,” said Vivek Menon, IUCN Councillor & Chair AsESG, IUCN SSC. “I am sure that the guidelines for conflict mitigation that emerge from this collaborative workshop will be helpful to manage the deteriorating relationship between humans and elephants.”

The Asian elephant, classified as ‘Endangered’ by the IUCN Red List, has a population ranging from 48,000 to 50,000 individuals across 13 range states and more than 60% of the wild population exists in India alone. This emphasises the critical need to safeguard these animals and implement efficient strategies towards coexistence.

Michael Kreger, Vice President of Conservation for the Columbus Zoo, said, “I am so happy at how well the workshop went. Human-elephant conflict is the greatest threat to Asian elephants and is responsible for the loss of human lives, property, and agriculture. This first-ever event held by the CSS: AsE did exactly what it was set up to do—serve the range countries as a safe space to explore solutions for very complex elephant conservation challenges.”