BHUBANESWAR: In view of the success of management effectiveness evaluation (MEE) of tiger reserves, the Centre has decided to pilot the exercise for elephant reserves in the country, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav said here on Saturday.
The move assumes significance as the country has an elephant population of over 30,000, spread across 33 reserves with a total area of 80,777 sq km. Addressing a gathering on the occasion of World Elephant Day, Yadav said, “For the first time, the MoEFCC is set to carry out management effectiveness and evaluation of the elephant reserves across the country.”
Four elephant reserves across as many elephant-bearing regions of the country have been identified for piloting the MEE. “This will be a major step forward in standardizing and propagating best practices among elephant reserves,” he said.
The union minister said concerted efforts are being made by the central government to address the critical issue of railway-related elephant collisions. “As part of this, about 110 critical stretches across the railway network in the country that pass through elephant habitats have been identified and multi-pronged strategies are being planned to minimise railway-related elephant collisions in these stretches. Measures such as building underpasses, clearing vegetation along the tracks to increase visibility for the loco pilots to avoid collisions, provisioning ramps have been planned for these stretches,” he said.
Yadav also informed that the Ministry of Railways is contemplating to replicate the technology-based intrusion detection system along the tracks in Odisha and other states to prevent jumbo death in train mishaps. The Ministry has also taken up mapping of genotype of all captive elephants in the country to prevent illegal trafficking of elephants.
Director general of Forests and special secretary Chandra Prakash Goyal told The New Indian Express that the MEE will evaluate how effectively reserves are being monitored on different parametres like protection, rejuvenation of area, general administration, engagement of local people in different activities.
Yadav along with minister of state for MoEFCC Ashwini Kumar Choubey, state Forest and Environment minister Pradip Kuma Amat, Goyal and senior forest officials released the report on elephant corridors of India prepared by the Project Elephant.
The report comprises details pertaining to 150 elephant corridors across the country with corresponding maps. It will help states take appropriate measures to manage and protect the corridors for ensuring unhindered movement of elephants to avoid negative interactions with local people.
The 19th steering committee meeting of the Project Elephant, under the chairmanship of the union minister, was also held in which issues pertaining to elephant conservation and management were deliberated at length.
Jumbo exercise
The country has elephant population of over 30,000 spread over 33 reserves
Four elephant reserves have been identified for piloting
the MEE
110 stretches across railway network passing through elephant habitats identified