Context: A new elephant corridor report released by the central government showed a 40 per cent increase in elephant corridors across 15 elephant range states in India.

• Elephant corridors can be described as a strip of land that enables elephant movement between two or more friendly habitats.

Key Points from the Elephant Corridors of India 2023 Report

• New Corridors: Centre has identified over 60 new corridors used by elephants for movement between two habitats, taking the total number of identified passages across the country to 150.

• Previously there were 88 Elephant Corridors.

• West Bengal has the highest number (26) of identified elephant corridors in India, accounting for over 17 per cent of all the passages.

• Corridor Mapping: The report mapped 150 elephant corridors in 15 states, categorizing them into four geographic regions: northern, northeast, east-central, and southern.

• About 84 per cent (126) of the identified elephant corridors occur within the state boundaries. 

• About 13 per cent (19) are interstate elephant corridors that extend into two or more states. There were six transnational corridors between India and Nepal.

• Increase in Elephant Movement: Approximately 40% of mapped corridors have seen an increase in elephant movement, with some regions showing stability.

• Expansion of Elephant Ranges: Elephants have expanded their ranges in regions like Vidarbha, southern Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and northern Andhra Pradesh.

• Corridor Impairment: Despite habitat rejuvenation efforts, 10% of elephant corridors have become impaired over the years, due to factors like increased human activity.

• Loss of Functionality: 15 corridors have lost functionality due to various factors, including anthropogenic pressure.

• Decline in Usage: 29 corridors (19% of the total) have recorded a decline in elephant usage, primarily due to encroachment, mining, and infrastructure development.

About Project Elephant

It was launched by the Government of India in the year 1992 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with following objectives:

• To protect elephants, their habitat & corridors

• To address issues of man-animal conflict

• Welfare of captive elephants

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change provides financial and technical support to major elephant range states in the country through the project.

Conservation Status (Asian Elephant)

• IUCN Red List: Endangered

• CITES: Appendix I.

• Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I.

Elephant Corridor

• Corridor is a strip of land that facilitates the movement of elephants between two or more viable habitat patches.

• Corridors are directly beneficial in buffering wildlife populations from the perils of habitat fragmentation, they have become a cornerstone for wildlife conservation across the globe.

Suggestions

• Restoration Efforts for impaired corridors, including habitat enrichment, demarcation, and measures to curb human interventions.

• Periodic Monitoring: To ensure their protection, understand elephant movement patterns, and proactively address human-elephant conflicts.