76
more is its capacity of sustaining more diversity and less are the impacts on it from
adjacent habitats and edge effects (Burkart et al., 2016; Johnsingh and Williams
1999). The corridors of Asian elephants should be protected because they act as key
elements and aid in the restoration of declining populations in multiple habitats
(Johnsingh and Williams 1999; Zhang & Wang, 2003). Corridors can be natural or
man-made and can also be regional, sub-regional and local, based on their width
(Johnsingh and Williams 1999). There are 28 Asian elephant corridors in south
India, 25 corridors in central India, 23 corridors in north-eastern India, 1 corridor in
northern West Bengal and 11 corridors in north-western India out of the total 101
corridors in India. 70% of these corridors are regularly used, 25 are occasionally
used and 6% are rarely used (Right to passage: Elephant corridors of India, 2017).
Conservation-based efforts should be undertaken in order to make all the corridors
regularly preferred by elephants. West Bengal has the highest number of corridors
followed by Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand (Menon et al. 2017). Almost all the corridors in central India have agricultural land in them. According to the census carried out by Project Elephant in 2017, India had the greatest number of Asian
elephants which was estimated to be approximately 27,312 (Right to passage:
Elephant corridors of India, 2017). Habitat fragmentation and human encroachments and their insensitivity has led to the decline in their numbers. This has eventually forced the elephants to move out of their native habitat boundaries in search of
food, shelter and space (Menon et al. 2017). All these reasons have undoubtfully led
to Human-Elephant Conflict which is considered to be one of the most alarming
issues in India. 400 human deaths, property loss up to millions and 1500 elephant
deaths caused due to train hits, electrocutions, poisoning, poaching for tusks are few
black marks that are added to the list (WTI article, undated). Unless the implementation of solutions that would effectively conserve elephants and at the same time
give protection to human life and property, are coordinated, it is a waste of time just
discussing just about species conservation. Restoration and protection of deteriorating corridors should be ensured because it ensures landscape connectivity between
habitat areas across the landscape, habitat connectivity between habitat patches
adapted to by the species, ecological connectivity related to ecosystems and evolutionary connectivity in terms of gene flow between populations in different habitat
patches. Mapping of elephant corridors provides an effective way of monitoring
their ecological status and whether the species movement is detrimental to human
property and life.
4.2 Mahilong-Kalimati and Chandil-Matha Corridors
Central India has an elephant corridor every 840 km
2
, and this piece of information
itself states the importance of conservation of corridors in central India (Singh and
Perinchery 2017). Human-elephant conflicts in West Bengal have been on a rise
with an increase in the developmental projects (Katariya 2018). The elephants that
find their way into human settlements tend to cause a lot of commotion and huge
C. S. Abhijitha et al.
more is its capacity of sustaining more diversity and less are the impacts on it from
adjacent habitats and edge effects (Burkart et al., 2016; Johnsingh and Williams
1999). The corridors of Asian elephants should be protected because they act as key
elements and aid in the restoration of declining populations in multiple habitats
(Johnsingh and Williams 1999; Zhang & Wang, 2003). Corridors can be natural or
man-made and can also be regional, sub-regional and local, based on their width
(Johnsingh and Williams 1999). There are 28 Asian elephant corridors in south
India, 25 corridors in central India, 23 corridors in north-eastern India, 1 corridor in
northern West Bengal and 11 corridors in north-western India out of the total 101
corridors in India. 70% of these corridors are regularly used, 25 are occasionally
used and 6% are rarely used (Right to passage: Elephant corridors of India, 2017).
Conservation-based efforts should be undertaken in order to make all the corridors
regularly preferred by elephants. West Bengal has the highest number of corridors
followed by Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand (Menon et al. 2017). Almost all the corridors in central India have agricultural land in them. According to the census carried out by Project Elephant in 2017, India had the greatest number of Asian
elephants which was estimated to be approximately 27,312 (Right to passage:
Elephant corridors of India, 2017). Habitat fragmentation and human encroachments and their insensitivity has led to the decline in their numbers. This has eventually forced the elephants to move out of their native habitat boundaries in search of
food, shelter and space (Menon et al. 2017). All these reasons have undoubtfully led
to Human-Elephant Conflict which is considered to be one of the most alarming
issues in India. 400 human deaths, property loss up to millions and 1500 elephant
deaths caused due to train hits, electrocutions, poisoning, poaching for tusks are few
black marks that are added to the list (WTI article, undated). Unless the implementation of solutions that would effectively conserve elephants and at the same time
give protection to human life and property, are coordinated, it is a waste of time just
discussing just about species conservation. Restoration and protection of deteriorating corridors should be ensured because it ensures landscape connectivity between
habitat areas across the landscape, habitat connectivity between habitat patches
adapted to by the species, ecological connectivity related to ecosystems and evolutionary connectivity in terms of gene flow between populations in different habitat
patches. Mapping of elephant corridors provides an effective way of monitoring
their ecological status and whether the species movement is detrimental to human
property and life.
4.2 Mahilong-Kalimati and Chandil-Matha Corridors
Central India has an elephant corridor every 840 km
2
, and this piece of information
itself states the importance of conservation of corridors in central India (Singh and
Perinchery 2017). Human-elephant conflicts in West Bengal have been on a rise
with an increase in the developmental projects (Katariya 2018). The elephants that
find their way into human settlements tend to cause a lot of commotion and huge
C. S. Abhijitha et al.