Assessment of Different Aspects
of Elephant Depredation at a Rural
Society-Protected Area Interface
in Northeast India Based on Public
Estimation
Himangshu Dutta and Animekh Hazarika
Abstract Asiatic elephants have been involved in severe conflicts with the people
residing in the fringes of Abhaypur Reserve Forest, Northeast India. An attempt was
made for the first time ever to assess this problem in these areas. During this study, a
closed-ended questionnaire survey was conducted in selected fringe villages of the
protected area. The aim was to evaluate the issue from the socioeconomic point of
view and also develop a general understanding about the conflict elephants as well
as control measures applied. It was revealed that the elephants were responsible for
widespread agricultural loss, property damage and human attacks. This resulted in
severe consequences upon the financially weak rural population. Due to rampant crop
raid, people were also bound to abandon agricultural land and convert paddy fields
into tea gardens. The chief control measures applied included crackers, fire and noise,
which were not fully effective. The issue has magnified itself into a formidable conservation challenge in the area and needs to be addressed immediately. This would
enable humans and elephants to co-exist peacefully around the forest. Human–elephant conflicts around Abhaypur highlight the fact that wildlife can exert widespread
impacts upon the human society.
Keywords Depredation · Fringe village · Pachyderm · Reserve forest
1 Introduction
Human–wildlife conflict is the interaction between wildlife and people, which results
in a negative impact on people or their resources, or wildlife or their habitat (Steen
H. Dutta (B)
Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources, Institute for Social and Economic
Change, Bangalore 560072, India
e-mail: himangshu.dibru@gmail.com
A. Hazarika
Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Assam University, Silchar 788011, India
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
N. Roy et al. (eds.), Socio-economic and Eco-biological Dimensions
in Resource use and Conservation, Environmental Science and Engineering,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32463-6_12
249
of Elephant Depredation at a Rural
Society-Protected Area Interface
in Northeast India Based on Public
Estimation
Himangshu Dutta and Animekh Hazarika
Abstract Asiatic elephants have been involved in severe conflicts with the people
residing in the fringes of Abhaypur Reserve Forest, Northeast India. An attempt was
made for the first time ever to assess this problem in these areas. During this study, a
closed-ended questionnaire survey was conducted in selected fringe villages of the
protected area. The aim was to evaluate the issue from the socioeconomic point of
view and also develop a general understanding about the conflict elephants as well
as control measures applied. It was revealed that the elephants were responsible for
widespread agricultural loss, property damage and human attacks. This resulted in
severe consequences upon the financially weak rural population. Due to rampant crop
raid, people were also bound to abandon agricultural land and convert paddy fields
into tea gardens. The chief control measures applied included crackers, fire and noise,
which were not fully effective. The issue has magnified itself into a formidable conservation challenge in the area and needs to be addressed immediately. This would
enable humans and elephants to co-exist peacefully around the forest. Human–elephant conflicts around Abhaypur highlight the fact that wildlife can exert widespread
impacts upon the human society.
Keywords Depredation · Fringe village · Pachyderm · Reserve forest
1 Introduction
Human–wildlife conflict is the interaction between wildlife and people, which results
in a negative impact on people or their resources, or wildlife or their habitat (Steen
H. Dutta (B)
Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources, Institute for Social and Economic
Change, Bangalore 560072, India
e-mail: himangshu.dibru@gmail.com
A. Hazarika
Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Assam University, Silchar 788011, India
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
N. Roy et al. (eds.), Socio-economic and Eco-biological Dimensions
in Resource use and Conservation, Environmental Science and Engineering,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32463-6_12
249