The State Government on Saturday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Asian Nature Conservation Foundation (ANCF), Bangalore to conduct a study to assess the carrying capacity of elephant habitats in the State and minimise the man-elephant conflict.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forest S Srivastav and ANCF Chairman R Sukumar signed the MoU in the presence of Forest and Environment Minister Bijayshree Routray at State Secretariat here.
Routray said that the basic objective of the study is to solve the problem of depredation by elephants. As per the MoU the project period would be two- and-a-half years and the State Government would invest Rs 49.51 lakh in it. ANCF, a non-profit public charitable trust actively involved in the conservation of Asian elephants, was selected for the project based on its experience, the Minister said.
During 2004, the organisation had conducted a study on population status, conservation and management of Asian elephants in elephant reserves of Odisha. The fresh study would recommend for management of the elephant population in relation to assessment of habitats, corridors and carrying capacity.The ANCF would also make detail documentation and recommend steps for restoration of the stretch of lakhery valley to Mahendragiri corridor, prepare data base on elephant habitats and reserves in the State in GIS domain and assess habitat viability for elephants.
According to the Minister, the elephant population in the State rose from 1,886 in 2010 to 1,930 in 2012. Around 75 per cent of the total elephants were found in Myurbhanj, Sambalpur and Mahanadi reserves. Due to severe biotic pressure, the elephant habitats are under threat. The elephants are forced to leave their habitats and enter into villages leading to conflict with human beings and resulting in heavy human and animal tolls, besides property damages.