A gaggle of elephants going again to the forest after a dip within the pond close to Balikiari in Cuttack district in the course of the not too long ago concluded census in Odisha. File picture
| Photo Credit: Lingaraj Panda
The Odisha authorities has come up with a ‘comprehensive action plan for conservation of elephants and mitigation of human-elephant conflict’, a zonation method to keep a long-term viable inhabitants of 1700-1800 elephants within the State.
According to the plan, which is a part of an affidavit filed with Orissa High Court, steps will probably be taken to minimise the incidence of human-elephant conflict and consequent dying of people and elephants.
A division bench of Orissa High Court comprising Chief Justice S. Muralidhar and Justice M.S. Raman has been bearing a lot of public curiosity litigations regarding elephant deaths. The State has been divided into 4 zones.
The Zone I will probably be ‘Elephant Conservation Zone’, which is three elephant reserves. The State Forest and Environment division will give strict safety, guarantee no change in land-use, enhance habitat high quality and retain the optimum variety of elephants inside them all year long.
The Zone II will probably be handled as a co-existence zone, intending to enhance habitat high quality and viability and cut back conflict by means of long- time period methods, discourage harmful land-use practices, promote scientific eco-restoration of degraded forests and encourage wildlife-friendly land-use, thereby inducing elephants to keep inside such areas for a year-long.
Similarly, Zone III will probably be a Conflict Mitigation Zone the place steps will probably be taken to cut back conflict by means of short-term methods, reduce human and elephant deaths and to retain a minimal viable variety of elephants as per social carrying capability.
The Zone IV will probably be a no-go space for elephants. The jumbos straying on this zone to be captured and translocated forthwith to recognized places.
In the previous 9 years, Odisha has misplaced shut to 700 elephants, whereas the human deaths in human-elephant encounters have reached a determine of 860.
The division assured Orissa HC that expeditious steps could be taken to fill up the emptiness positions for 2297 forest guards, forester (435), deputy ranger (129), ranger (136), assistant conservator forest (104) and deputy conservator forest (17) for efficient safety and monitoring of schedule I species.
Moreover, energy distribution corporations would guarantee frequent patrolling in susceptible places to examine unlawful hooking and take crucial authorized motion in opposition to the offenders. Besides, naked conductors in elephant motion areas could be nicely insulated as a part of preventive measures to examine elephant electrocution deaths. Earlier, Orissa HC expressed grave issues over frequent elephant deaths within the State.
