Assam based conservationists Dr Bibhuti Prasad Lahkar, Dr Alolika Sinha, Abhijit Boruah and Rubul Tanti attended the distinguished 19th International Elephant Conservation and Research Symposium in Chiang Mai, Thailand from 14-17 November.
This global symposium was organised by the International Elephant Foundation, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Chiang Mai University, the National Elephant Institute, and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Kasetsart University to address the alarming increase in pressures on wild elephant populations around the globe.
“Sadly, wildlife habitat continues to shrink day by day while human-elephant conflict (HEC) increases. Worldwide, conservationists and researchers strive to protect the remaining wild animals and habitats through research and conservation efforts.”, Says Aaranyak, a leading conservation organisation based in Assam.
Senior scientist Dr Bibhuti Prasad Lahkar, who is the head of the Elephant Research and Conservation Division of Aaranyak, presented about how Aaranyak is promoting human-elephant coexistence in Assam and Meghalaya in partnership with British Asian Trust and with Darwin Initiative support through the implementation of IUCN HWC Guidelines. While Dr Alolika Sinha, Senior Conservation Biologist with Aaranyak, extensively presented about Aaranyak’s efforts to build meaningful relationships with local communities in order to mitigate human elephant conflict (HEC) and facilitate coexistence. The initiative is supported by US Fish and Wildlife Service and SBI Foundation.
This symposium was an important opportunity for all four conservationists to become acquainted, to learn from the work that has been conducted across Asia and Africa to mitigate human-elephant conflict, and to form a collaborative relationship to implement in NE India region to reduce the burgeoning HEC.
Aaranyak, which is extensively working on biodiversity conservation, considers the HEC in Assam a disaster. In order to ensure the long-term conservation of Asian elephants and to safeguard the wellbeing of local communities in Assam and Meghalaya, Aaranyak is taking a multifaceted scientific approach to reduce the intensity of HEC.
