IFAW: Safe passage for endangered elephants: Indian corridor given to government

Media Release
Contact:

Amanda Gent (IFAW) – UK Tel: +44 (0) 20 7587 6765. Mobile 07747 567635; Email: agent@ifaw.org

Rosa Argent (WTI) – India: rosa@wti.org.in or +91 9958 127685

Monica Sood (WTI) – India: monica@wti.org.in or +91 9810 606228

Safe passage for endangered elephants: Indian corridor given to government

(Bangalore, 20 December 2007) – More than one thousand wild elephants have been given a right of passage today, with the safeguarding of a wildlife corridor that links two reserves in Karnataka, Southern India. The land was handed over by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and international partner, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), to forest officials in a ceremony in Bangalore – the first time land has been bought by a non-profit wildlife organisation and signed over to the government to protect the habitat of the endangered Asian elephant.

Michael Wamithi, IFAW’s global Elephants Programme Manager, said: “This is a significant step forward for elephant conservation in India, and a model I hope other wildlife groups will follow. Trans-frontier wildlife linkages are a sustainable means of addressing both habitat fragmentation and human-elephant conflict. Similar initiatives must continue to be implemented throughout both Asia and Africa to ensure the species’ survival.”

A formal MOU signed between the Karnataka government and WTI transfers the land, known as the Edayargalli-Doddasampige (E-D) corridor, to the Forest Department. In return for the title deeds, forest officials will maintain the corridor as a safe passage for elephants. The agreement brings the corridor officially into an existing protected area, improving the ability of forest guards to secure this strip of land. The 25.5 acres of land was privately purchased by IFAW in 2005 to ensure a viable habitat was protected from future development. WTI field staff will monitor the usage of the corridor by wildlife and ensure the movement of elephants is not hindered.

The E-D corridor is a narrow strip of land (0.5 km wide and 2 km long) that is crucial to the local elephant population as it links two forested areas cut off from each other by deforestation and agricultural land. A highway also runs through the corridor connecting human settlements to the north and south, which threatens the ability of elephants to move safely between the protected areas for foraging and breeding.

Robbie Marsland, Director of IFAW UK, said: “I am proud of this ground-breaking initiative, which aims to give privately-owned land back to the government authorities who are best-placed to enforce existing conservation laws. The E-D corridor in Karnataka is also home to wild tigers and leopards, so by protecting the habitat of elephants we are also able to provide safe passage for other endangered species and wildlife in the area.”

Elephant corridors are narrow strips of land that allow elephants to move from one habitat patch to another. There are 88 identified elephant corridors in India. The country is home to an estimated 25,000 wild elephants.

WTI, IFAW and partners have also acquired part of an identified elephant corridor linking the Wayanad Sanctuary to the Brahmagiri Sanctuary, Kerala. The strip of land is threatened by human settlements. By acquiring the land owned by villagers, either by direct payment or by providing suitable alternative land and houses along with rehabilitation packages, the project works with local communities to ensure elephant habitat is protected for long-term conservation. Four families have already been voluntarily relocated from Thirulakunnu village. Mr Marsland commented: “Importantly, local villagers also benefit from the creation of corridors because they help reduce instances of conflict, thus creating a better world for animals and people.”

Elephant numbers, which once were in the millions, have plummeted to an estimated 500,000. Today, there are approximately 35,000 to 45,000 Asian elephants remaining in the wild, about a tenth of the existing African elephant population. The major threats to elephant populations within Asia are poaching, habitat loss and fragmentation.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

For free IFAW video and stills, please log onto www.thenewsmarket.com/ifaw to preview and request video. Broadcast-standard video on digital or tape format is available from this site. Registration and video is free to the media.

Please see IFAW publication on trans-frontier conservation at http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw/dimages/custom/2_Publications/Elephants/Save_Elephants_publications/TransFrontBrochure_USEnglish.pdf.

The E-D corridor connects the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary and the Kollegal Forest Reserve, and lies between Kurubaradoddi village (to the north) and Aandipalya village (to the south). These villages are connected by the Kollegal-Satyamangalam highway.
Thirulakunnu is one of six settlements in the Tirunelli – Kudrakote corridor that connects the Brahmagiri Hills north of Karnataka to the Coorg plateau through the northern Wayanad region of Kerala. This provides connectivity to a population of at least 5,000 elephants.
A two-day workshop is being held in Bangalore on 20 & 21 December, bringing together Chief Wildlife Wardens from 10 states, NGOs including IFAW, WTI and Project Elephant, and conservationists to discuss wildlife corridor management and protection measures.
“Right of Passage: Elephant Corridors in India” is being re-issued today. The book documents all known corridors in India and was published with the support of WTI, IFAW, US Fish & Wildlife Service and the Asian Nature Conservation Foundation.