For the past six years the Asian Nature Conservation Foundation (ANCF) has carried out a study on elephant ecology in this area through radio-telemetry. The study looked at habitat utilization, foraging ecology and human-elephant conflict (HEC). But applying the lessons learned to reduce conflict has not been done.
This pilot project will facilitate co-existence between humans and elephants by building capacities of communities and test strategies for development of alternative sources of income and alternate crops in a selected cluster of villages and tea gardens.
A pilot project will comprise the larger landscape of Buxa Tiger Reserve and the adjoining Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary which is home to about 300 elephants.
The target villages will be Pumpy Basti, Basti, Bhutri, Chipra, Newlands, Moinabari, Dalbadol, South Poro, Sankosh in the Buxa Tiger Reserve and Kodalbasti, Ballalguri, Nutanpara in the Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary.
The target tea gardens will be Barnabari TG, Nimatijhora TG, Sankosh TG, Chuniajhora TG, Hunterpara TG, and Beech TG. An alliance of local villagers, Forest Department and tea gardens will be created to work on human elephant conflict (HEC) issues in the region.
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Mitigating HEC
