Securing the Future for Elephants in India - Ministry of Environment ...

From the outset, the objective was to consolidate preservation in the parks
and sanctuaries. But since these form less than 30 per cent of the Elephant
Reserves, it is land-use planning that has been the major challenge in the rest
of the landscapes.
Despite significant achievements, there have been shortcomings. The goals
were spelt out but the means to get there were lacking, and not merely in a
narrow financial sense. Coordinated interventions for land-use planning
outside Protected Areas or to secure corridors required a far wider range of
instruments of intervention. Further, the mitigation of conflict in a
transparent manner and science based planning of reserves needed
substantial strengthening.
Finally, Project Elephant’s efforts to improve the welfare, status and
standards of captive elephants and their care-givers even when assisted by
active civil society groups needed more focus.
Above all, the efforts lacked sharp focus and attention at the highest level of
government. The fragmentation and degradation of habitat is a serious issue
and cannot be addressed without major overhaul both of administrative
machinery and of official policies. Timely action can avert crises, and effective
governance make people partners in protection.
A Mission Renewed
There is, to put it simply a need for a renewed sense of purpose. India can
and should take the lead in protecting Asia’s elephants.
In doing so, it needs to take Gajah back to the people. Far more than any wild
animal it is a species that children and adults alike are familiar with. But this
goodwill has hardly been harnessed with a wider message of conservation
and awareness of animal sensibilities, or of our lore and cultures. The
elephant needs pride of place in our national life and it also needs to be
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