WTI-IFAW secures corridor used by thousand elephants

File photo: A herd of elephants in south India

Kollegal: A crucial corridor used by more than a thousand elephants, was purchased, and transferred to the Karnataka government today, securing an ancient southern Indian elephant migration route that was under severe stress due to human activities.

The 25.5 acre Kollegal (Edayarhalli–Doddasampige) Elephant Corridor land under private ownership was purchased by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) supported by its partner – the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). The corridor connects Kollegal Forest Division to Biligiri Ranganswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary (BRT WLS). With a pending proposal to incorporate it into the BRT WLS, Kollegal corridor now enjoys the status of being the first in Asia to be privately-purchased and to be made a part of a protected area.

Members of Karnataka Forest Department and WTI sign the land ownership transfer agreement

The Kollegal corridor land ownership transfer was done today at the Hanur Sub-Registrar’s Office in Kollegal. The agreement was signed by Biswajit Misra, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Chamrajnagar representing the Forest Department and Sathyan AV, General Manager, WTI. Among the other people present were P Sridhar, Assistant Conservator of Forests, Yalandur Wildlife Sub-Division, M Sridhara, Range Forest Officer, Wildlife Range, Byloor and Dr B Ramakrishnan, Field Officer, WTI.

“Purchasing corridor land for securement is a very good initiative to reestablish the habitat and remove impediments to elephant movement. Generally, these kind of initiatives are easier with involvement of NGOs rather than government doing it alone. This was a very noble work by WTI and I hope that more elephant corridors are secured similarly to ensure long-term conservation of elephants,” said Biswajit Misra.

“Once the land was secured by WTI, the Forest Department initiated filling up of elephant proof trenches within the corridor to facilitate free movement of the elephants. This has been partly completed. We will now propose to notify this area as part of BRT WLS to the authorities. Since this purchased corridor land was earlier used for agriculture, reforestation with plantation of native species will have to be done. Additionally, people will have to be made aware of the status and significance of the corridor,” he added.

“Securing elephant corridors is one of WTI’s main priorities. Beginning with the identification of the corridors in early 2000s that resulted in the publication ‘Right of Passage’, WTI along with its supporters have been working with state Forest Departments and local communities to secure these corridors to facilitate long-term conservation of the threatened Asian elephant in India,” said Dr Sandeep Kumar Tiwari, who heads WTI’s National Elephant Corridor project.

The Kollegal corridor is listed in WTI publication ‘Right of Passage: Elephant corridors of India’ as one the 88 critical elephant corridors in India. The publication classified it as a corridor of high ecological priority.

“This corridor provides a safe passage for more than a thousand elephants among other wild animals in this landscape, and will undoubtedly help minimise human-elephant conflicts,” Dr Tiwari added.

In December 2007, during the National Elephant Corridor Workshop held at the Indian Institute of Sciences, Bangalore, the Karnataka Forest Department and WTI had entered into a memorandum of understanding on ownership transfer and to incorporate the secured land into the BRT WLS.

The National Elephant Corridor project secures corridors either through land purchase accompanied by voluntary relocation when necessary, or through community-based conservation. In the former method, resident settlements are provide land with newly-constructed houses with improved amenities in an alternative site identified and selected with their consent. In the latter, using a novel approach, local communities are encouraged to voluntarily set aside community land for conservation. The consenting communities are provided support for eco-development to reduce their dependence on forest resources.

Supported by the Elephant Family, IUCN-Netherlands, US Fish and Wildlife Service and World Land Trust, the project is currently attempting to secure Tirunelli-Kudrakote Elephant Corridor in Kerala, Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong Elephant Corridor in Assam and Siju-Rewak Elephant Corridor in Meghalaya.

Photo: Dr B Ramakrishnan/WTI