Mitigating Human-Elephant Conflict: A Comprehensive Strategy of Crop Replanting, Compensation, Acoustic Deterrents, and Community Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58445/rars.3081Keywords:
Elephants, Human-animal conflict, mitigation strategiesAbstract
This paper presents a comprehensive meta-analysis of human-elephant conflict (HEC), focusing on the interactions between expanding human habitats and shrinking elephant ranges. The study reveals that habitat loss due to agricultural expansion and urbanization has drastically reduced elephant habitats—by 94% in China and over 50% in other Asian countries between 1700 and 2015 (Silva, 2023). This habitat loss has also resulted in significant crop losses. Various mitigation strategies are evaluated, including compensation programs, education programs, agricultural deterrents, early detection systems, and acoustic deterrents. However, each strategy has its limitations. The paper proposes a novel, multi-faceted approach thatincludes government-supported financial aid for farmers to plant less attractive crops,conditional compensation for crop losses only when law-mandated crops are damaged, and educational initiatives to foster empathy for elephants. This integrated strategy aims to balance human needs with ecological preservation and offers a scalable model for mitigating HEC globally.
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