Securing Thirunelli–Kudrakote elephant corridor vital for the habitat: Report

KOCHI: Securing the Thirunelli–Kudrakote elephant corridor, which connects the Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka with the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala, will turn out to be vital for the habitat connectivity and survival of about 6,500 Asian elephants, according to a report by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) which was released on the occasion of World elephant day.
Using one of the four corridor securement models -- private purchase model-- WTI worked with the Kerala forest department to secure an elephant corridor area that housed five villages covering about 37.3 acres. A Bengaluru-based Asian nature conservation foundation purchased 12 acres and handed it over to the state forest department. There was financial support from Elephant Family, World Land Trust and IUCN-Netherlands.
WTI with support of its donors, managed voluntary relocation of 37 families from four other settlements covering 25.3 acres in this corridor. These families were provided housing and, in some cases, facilitated with alternative livelihoods and government schemes. This was done to ensure unhindered elephant movement through this corridor that would be bereft of human habitation.
For the locals, it was a relief from living in fear of wild elephant attacks. The conservation action report which was released online on Tuesday showed that all the corridor resident families faced regular conflicts with wildlife (elephant, wild pig, deer and bonnet macaque). Over 90% of the relocated families agreed that the new locations were largely free from wild animal encounters and attacks and had better access to roads, schools, hospitals and ancillary facilities. Direct and indirect evidence indicate good usage of the corridor by elephants, tiger, gaur and other wild animals maintaining the functionality of the corridor.
This report is a benchmark study on successful land acquisition through voluntary relocation of people for securing right of passage for the Asian elephant and has potential to be replicated across other landscapes favouring this strategy.
Of the 14,612 elephants reported from Southern India, the Brahmagiri-Nilgiri Eastern Ghats sub-population is estimated to host over 6,500 elephants. This landscape requires constant protection and habitat contiguity in order to prevent the elephants from becoming geographically isolated, which could further aggravate population decline and increase in human-elephant conflict.
The Thirunelli-Kudrakote corridor is located at the tri-junction of the states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is recognized as one of the 28 elephant corridors of South India, that are essential for the movement of the large pachyderms between protected areas.
A total of 25.3 acres of land was purchased from 37 families and they were relocated based on their prior informed consent. The purchased land was handed over to the forest department to be notified as a part of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary. Periodical monitoring has shown that following the post- rehabilitation of villages there has been consistent and regular movement of elephants and other wildlife through the corridor. The rehabilitated people are also being followed to assess the impact of resettlement on their social and economic conditions, especially that of women and children.
The relocation of the villages of Thirulakunnu, Valiya Emmadi, Kottapady and Puliyankolly was a win-win for both elephants and people. The secured corridor land eventually was declared as part of Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary and Wayanad North Forest Division in a gazette notification in 2015.
The online event was in the presence Soumitra Dasgupta (IFS), additional DG (Wildlife), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), and PK Kesavan (IFS), PCCF and head of forest force, Kerala Forest Department. Senior government officials Noyal Thomas (IFS), IG- Project Elephant, MoEFCC and Surendra Kumar (IFS), PCCF (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden, Kerala Forest Department were also part of the event.
“I would like to congratulate WTI and all other partners who were involved in this very successful initiative. I am given to understand that this is probably the first such experiment, the first in the state, the first in the country” mentioned PK Kesavan while releasing the report along with Soumitra Dasgupta.
“We will leave no stone unturned in elephant conservation, but we have to ensure that elephant conservation is in sync with human existence and we will try to find out a way so that a safe, secure and a symbiotic future is assured for both elephants and humankind," said Soumitra Dasgupta.