Balancing act

South and south-east Asia have the highest human population density in the world, and numbers are increasing by between one and three percent each year.

Forests and other elephant habitats are being destroyed to make way for new settlements and agricultural land. Only an estimated five percent of their original habitat is left for the creatures to roam. As a result, an increasing number of elephants are entering newly developed areas and incurring the wrath of angry locals.

The IUCN says the major cause of death for Asian elephants is now being poisoned or shot by farmers. This is why the 13-nation meeting was a welcome step forward in the effort to improve the balance between the needs of elephants and a growing human population, said Andrew McMullin. "We are very pleased that the nations have come together on this, and we hope that it is going to be the start of a long and fruitful cooperation between the countries."

IUCN 27 Jan 06
Big hopes for endangered Asian Elephants

The first ever meeting of all 13 Asian elephant range states addresses the serious threats facing the continent’s largest mammal

Gland , Switzerland – The situation facing the Asian elephant is critical. Just over 5 percent of the original Asian elephant habitat remains today, and its population has declined over the past half century to an estimated 30,000–50,000 animals in the wild. This is only 10-15% of the African elephant population.

Once a symbol of a unique and sacred relationship between nature and man, it is now threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (category “endangered”).

To address the main issues threatening the survival of the Asian elephant, the 13 Asian countries which still have wild populations came together for the first time in Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia on 24–26 January 2006. The meeting, convened by the Government of Malaysia, was facilitated by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), and in particular its Species Survival Commission (SSC).

Regional consensus on ways to secure the species’ future was the main aim of the meeting and the need for transboundary cooperation was highlighted throughout the discussions.

“Many range states face similar problems. Therefore, the meeting focused on lessons learned and the sharing of expertise to help improve the Asian elephant’s fortunes. We hope that this meeting will only be the first step in a continuous fruitful process,” says Dr Holly Dublin , Chair of SSC.

Country populations vary from perhaps less than 100 in Vietnam to over 20,000 in India, but many population estimates are little more than guesses.

“The need to develop a reliable information gathering and management system was emphasised at the meeting,” said Simon Hedges, co-chair of the IUCN/SSC Asian Elephant Specialist Group.

One of the main contributing factors to the elephant’s decline is the increase in human–elephant conflicts, which result in the death of several hundred animals and people every year, as well as da mag e to properties.

This rise has become inevitable as Asian elephants have less and less natural habitat in which to feed and roam. Just 500,000 sq km of the former Asian elephant habitat remains today –out of an original 9 million sq km.

South and Southeast Asia have the highest human population density in the world, and it is still increasing by 1-3 percent every year. This results in accelerated conversion of forest and other elephant habitat into agriculture and settlements, disrupting traditional elephant paths and reducing their food supply.

“The Asian elephant requires much larger areas of natural range than most other terrestrial mammals in Asia . In order to coexist with humans we need to move from short term mitigation measures to long term land use planning strategies taking into account the species’ biological needs; otherwise we shall keep seeing the elimination of elephant populations in large parts of its range,” says Ajay Desai, the other Co-chair of the SSC Asian Elephant Specialist Group.

Human-elephant conflict is now the major cause of individual elephant deaths, through indiscriminate poisoning, shooting and trapping. It is therefore critical to find ways to minimize this conflict and integrate these strategies into land use to ensure the long term survival of the species.

In addition, the recognition of elephants as an economic asset instead of an agricultural pest, and realistic compensation payments to farmers for elephant damage would encourage local people to be more tolerant of them living in their neighbourhood.

Other threats include selective poaching of tusked males for ivory, which results in skewed male-female ratios in many populations. While ivory is the main target for poachers, meat, hide, tail hair, bones and teeth are also traded, making elephants a particularly attractive target. Illegal killing has significantly reduced populations over wide areas.

“The conservation of the Asian elephant will require a pragmatic synergy of scientific knowledge, cultural pride, and political will. We hope we have managed to bring all these factors together at this meeting,” says Dr Holly Dublin.

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