CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has initiated the process of notifying crucial elephant corridors in the state, a first-of-its-kind move to ensure the long-term conservation of its pachyderm population and mitigate human-elephant conflict. The State Planning Commission is funding a study to revisit ground truth and assess the validity of all the 42 corridors identified by the Tamil Nadu Elephant Corridors Committee. The effort is expected to refine the list by filtering corridors based on scientific reasoning and ecological necessity.
The move follows an extensive reassessment conducted by the committee, which comprised officials from the Forest Department, scientific experts, and conservation organisations. Their preliminary findings indicate that while 42 corridors have been mapped, not all may serve as effective linkages for elephant movement and genetic exchange.
Srinivas R Reddy, head of Forest Force, Tamil Nadu forest department, told TNIE, “We need to confirm whether these corridors connect landscapes and facilitate gene flow. The study will provide scientific validation and help in finalising the most critical ones. Public opinion will be sought before any formal notification, for which we are translating all the information into Tamil,” he said.
Sources said the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) is conducting the study through a combination of literature review, ground surveys, and consultation with local communities. The study will also assess the feasibility of maintaining the integrity of these corridors without significantly impacting human settlements.
A Udhayan, director, Advanced Institute of Wildlife Conservation, said without functional corridors, we risk increased conflict and genetic isolation of elephant populations. “For long-term conservation, a population of around 2,000 elephants is considered ideal. A few herds use traditional seasonal routes, which are now obstructed by infrastructure and land-use changes,” he said.
The reassessment comes against the backdrop of growing human-wildlife conflict in Tamil Nadu, particularly in regions like Coimbatore, Gudalur, and Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve. In the 2024-25 fiscal alone, 80 people lost their lives.
According to the latest synchronised elephant census, Tamil Nadu is home to approximately 3,063 elephants, distributed across more than 20 forest divisions covering over 9,200 sq km.
Former Wildlife Institute of India professor and retired SACON director K Sankar pointed out that while Tamil Nadu has both functional and non-functional elephant corridors, protecting them legally is a challenge.
“Identifying corridors is one step; ensuring their long-term conservation is another. We need to address issues like habitat fragmentation, land encroachments, anthropogenic pressure, and invasive plant species degrading the corridors,” Sankar said.
Currently, except for Sigur elephant corridor in the Nilgiris, no corridor is notified in the country. If Tamil Nadu manages to protect and notify some of the critical connecting routes, it will be the first state to achieve and boost elephant conservation.
P S Easa, chairman of Care Earth Trust, said the problem of human-elephant conflict is going to get more complex in the coming days. “Maintaining a healthy population with a good male-female sex ratio is more important for the long-term conservation of the species.”
Forest minister K Ponmudi, after inaugurating the Yaanai Thiruvizha at Guindy Children’s Park, asked officials to give equal weightage to protect the elephants as well the people living close to the forests.
80 killed in one year
The reassessment comes against the backdrop of growing human-wildlife conflict in Tamil Nadu, particularly in regions like Coimbatore, Gudalur, and Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve. In the 2024-25 fiscal alone, 80 people lost their lives
