Taming Human-Elephant Conflict

Much like the recurring floods in Assam and the persistent waste management crisis in Dimapur, the problem of wild elephants straying into Wokha district continues unabated despite repeated public concern and official interventions. Wild elephants return to the region at regular intervals, damaging farmlands, destroying crops and property, and at times claiming human lives. Their movement usually heightens between May and December, coinciding with the agricultural season, often resulting not only in substantial economic losses for farmers but also posing a constant threat to the safety of villagers. With the farming season underway, reports have emerged that a herd of more than half a dozen had invaded a rubber plantation at Azumra Hayi, under Lakhuti village in Wokha, last week, partially damaging the plantation, a hut and adjoining paddy fields. The incident is yet another reminder of the growing challenge of human-elephant conflict in the area. Last year, a 72-year-old farmer lost his life in an elephant attack in Wokha. Similar incidents occurred in 2023 and 2024, and such tragedies can repeat if preventive measures are not put in place.

Human-elephant conflict has become a major conservation and development challenge across India, claiming hundreds of human lives annually while also leading to the deaths of many elephants. In response, governments have adopted various mitigation measures, including strengthening early warning systems, constructing physical barriers, and restoring natural elephant corridors. In Nagaland, the establishment of the Doyang Wildlife Division and a dedicated control room in Wokha, covering Wokha, Mokokchung and Zunheboto districts, is a welcome initiative aimed at tackling the rising incidents of human-elephant conflict. While this marks a positive step towards improving response and coordination, it must form part of a broader strategy that combines immediate interventions with long-term conservation and land-use planning.

The success stories of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in curbing human-elephant conflict offer encouraging examples of how sustained efforts can lead to positive outcomes. Besides constructing physical barricades, restoring habitats, and ensuring timely disbursement of compensation to affected families, these states also used cutting-edge technology, including the establishment of an AI-powered command centre and the use of radio-collaring on matriarch elephants to track herd movements. Its success is evident in the significant decline of fatalities and damage to property in the two states. Nagaland would do well to study and adapt such practices to suit its geographical and ecological conditions. At the same time, it is important to recognise that human-elephant conflict is, to a large extent, a consequence of human actions. Encroachment on forest, rapid loss of green cover, unplanned urbanisation, agricultural expansion, and infrastructure development have fragmented elephant habitats and disrupted their traditional migratory routes. Elephants, which have roamed these forests for centuries, are forced into farmlands and human settlements in search of food and water, underscoring the urgent need to identify the corridors, protect the existing ones and restore the degrading ones. Restoring the corridors can be challenging and may require difficult decisions, including removing encroachments on traditional paths, reconnecting fragmented habitats, and even relocation of settlements, but it remains among the most effective measures to minimise human-elephant conflict. Lasting coexistence between humans and elephants cannot be achieved through reactive measures alone. It demands political will, scientific planning, community participation, and balancing development with environmental conservation.