Four States — Odisha, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand — which comprise India’s most human-elephant conflict-prone region, have decided to count elephants synchronously between May 9 and 12. This will be the first regional synchronous elephant census with an identical set of rules for direct and indirect counting methods.
The census has been consciously been scheduled for May 10, a full moon day on which the chances of elephant sightings are higher.
This was decided at a regional workshop on a synchronised elephant population census for the eastern region, attended by senior forest officials of four States here on Friday. The direct elephant counting method is based on sightings of elephants, while in the indirect method, surveyors follow a dung decay formula for arriving at a population estimation. Dung decay methods have already been used by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. A variation of about 8% to 9% has been noticed between the two methods.
Overcoming difficulties
The synchronised census will indicate the size, distribution, structure and density of the elephant population in the region. According to the 2015 census, Odisha has 1,954 elephants, while Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal have approximately 700, 275 and 130 elephants respectively.
“Earlier, field officials were being deputed inside forest areas for direct counting, and it was expected that the entire forest area would be covered. But in reality, this was not possible for many reasons. In some pockets, the population was underestimated, while in other places, duplication was reported,” said S. S. Srivastava, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Odisha. Now, a simultaneously conducted census would eliminate all these factors, he said.
“We are trying to produce a good map on the distribution of elephants in different landscapes, highlighting the abundance and density of elephants. Synchronisation in the elephant census will lead to better regional planning,” said Raman Sukumar, a noted researcher on elephant populations.
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has set up a committee that is trying to prepare a strategic action plan for the region.
Mr. Sukumar, a member of the committee, said elephants travel long distances and an exhaustive information base on regional elephant distribution will help plan a proper intervention for their conservation in the long run.
