May 30, 2024
YUNNAN – On just the second day after arriving in Mengla county in the Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture, Yunnan province, Ma Chenyue and her colleagues received word that a group of 43 wild Asian elephants had been sighted near a village some 60 kilometers from Mengla’s county seat. These majestic animals, the largest land mammals in Asia, were spotted foraging in corn fields.
Ma, program manager of the International Fund for Animal Welfare China, and her team were eager to witness firsthand the elephants’ expansion into areas inhabited by humans.
After reaching the location of the sighting the following morning, however, the conservationists found that the elephants had already completed their nocturnal feast and retreated into the forest to rest beneath the canopy.
“What we saw was just a field of ‘harvested’ corn,” Ma said.
Cao Dafan, program officer at IFAW China’s Asian elephant protection program, estimated the field to be over 2 hectares, or four soccer pitches. “It took the herd of elephants just a single night to clear the corn from this plot,” Cao said.
Ma and Cao journeyed to Mengla to participate in the launch of a collaborative project between the county forestry and grassland bureau and IFAW China on May 10. The initiative, named the Human-Elephant Conflict Prevention Community Ranger Network, aims to further enhance the capabilities of local personnel engaged in Asian elephant monitoring.
Another goal is to increase awareness of safe behavior among locals who are faced with elephants coming into the areas in which they live.
As many as 50 people took part in the inaugural training session, including 16 dedicated wild Asian elephant watchers.
“By monitoring the movements of Asian elephants around the clock seven days a week, they stand at the forefront of conservation efforts and are both the targets and operators of our project,” Ma said.
Since 2000, IFAW China has been actively involved in the protection of Asian elephants in Yunnan. In 2020, a collaboration with the forestry and grassland bureau in Jinghong city, Xishuangbanna, led to the inception of the Human-Elephant Conflict Prevention Community Ranger Network project. Mengla now serves as the project’s second base in Xishuangbanna.
Why Mengla?
Mengla county is one of the most important habitats for Asian elephants in the country, according to Ma, with approximately 130 wild Asian elephants populated there.
“The population of wild Asian elephants has increased from about 80 in the 1980s,” said Chen Meng, director of Mengla’s forestry and grassland bureau’s nature reserve administrative department.
Due to improved conservation efforts over the years and an increased environmental consciousness among the populace, Chen said the elephants’ population has continued to grow, the range of their activities is expanding and many communities that had never experienced elephant activities before are now faced with having to deal with roaming herds.
Asian elephants can grow up to 9 feet tall and weigh 5 metric tons.
Many of the animals have grown accustomed to human presence and encounters, leading to heightened conflicts between the two.
To significantly reduce safety incidents and conflict between elephants and humans, he said the local government established an Asian elephant monitoring team in December 2019. Comprising 16 members, the team is tasked with monitoring the activities of wild Asian elephants across the six townships in the county where elephants are present.
The team operates in subgroups, with two members partnering up to utilize drones for continuous surveillance of wild elephant movements. Data on the elephants, including their locations, group sizes and behaviors, is relayed to the bureau. Subsequently, the information is disseminated to local communities and residents through various channels such as radio, loudspeakers or mobile messaging. A centralized warning system is under construction, he said.
“As a result, human-elephant safety incidents in Mengla have been scarce over the past several years, with usually one case in a year or sometimes none at all,” Chen said. “However, wild elephants are fond of crops such as corn and bananas, and have found the crops easier to obtain near human settlements. Cases of wild elephants raiding and feeding on people’s farm produce are on the rise.”
According to the official, Xishuangbanna prefecture allocates 30 million yuan ($4.14 million) to Mengla to compensate local residents for their economic losses caused by human-elephant conflicts. The county government has given an additional 10 million yuan to supplement the compensation fund.
“Every case will be handled,” Chen said. “Even though the funds are tight, 70 to 80 percent of lost crops can be compensated.”
People living in the elephant activity areas in Mengla mainly make a living by cultivating rubber trees, Cao said. During the rubber harvesting season, from May to October, there is an increased likelihood of encountering elephants, which might spark human-elephant safety incidents.
Meanwhile, as the elephants roam through areas inhabited by humans, they may venture close to roads, local communities and towns.
“People without much experience living with elephants might find themselves vulnerable to potential risks posed by these animals,” Cao said.
Living with elephants
Through training, according to Ma, the primary objective is to heighten the awareness of Asian elephant conservation and biodiversity among members of the monitoring team.
“By empowering these elephant watchers, we intend to encourage them to bring up-to-date information on elephants and safety protocols to local communities,” she said. “We expect that it will foster community acceptance of the information and facilitate the acquisition of essential knowledge. By imparting skills that help villagers avoid encounters with elephant herds, we anticipate an improvement in the safety of the local people.”
Over the past 20 years since IFAW China initiated its Asian Elephant Protection project, Cao said the main strategies implemented include establishing an elephant activity monitoring and warning system to alleviate human-elephant conflicts; conducting scientific research to formulate elephant population protection strategies; mobilizing local communities to increase their adaptability and tolerance toward elephants; supporting local communities in adopting sustainable development practices to enhance their resilience to economic losses caused by elephant activities; and conducting environmental education to enhance community awareness of elephant conservation.
Cao said 540 publicity activities in 186 villages, farms, tea processing plants and communities in Jinghong have involved 13,571 residents so far.
The project has so far produced and distributed 40,000 copies of the Asian Elephant Safety Manual.
Since 2021, IFAW China has given 70 sets of field equipment to the elephant watchers in Jinghong. The donation has significantly bolstered their safety and protection while carrying out fieldwork.
At the launch ceremony in Mengla, the nonprofit donated 15 sets of field equipment such as hiking boots and garments to the monitoring team members.
“We hope that this equipment will improve and enhance the efficiency of their fieldwork,” Ma said.