How can we create a positive coexistence between elephants and local communities in the Khata Corridor area of Bardia National Park?
SDG 15 – Life on land
Khata corridor is an important linkage between two heavily fragmented areas of land; Bardia National Park in Nepal and Katarniyaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in India, which once were part of an uninterrupted habitat. After decades of separation, these two patches were linked through a massive community initiative to merge into this green belt known as the Khata corridor which has now grown to be an important passage for wild elephants, tigers, and even rhinos in recent years.
Teeming with wildlife, thanks to an all-around effort in conservation, the Khata area hosts many incidents of conflict between these wildlife species and humans. People lose lives, houses, crops, livestock, and much more when attacked/raided by wildlife and wildlife can sometimes be killed in retaliation or in defense.
Local community leaders, conservationists, villagers, park rangers, buffer zone council, municipality ward officials, and the Director of Jane Goodall Institute, Manoj Gautam. Manoj has a wealth of experience in the field and he understands the complexity of changing human behavior for the preservation of the planet. He is an activist who knows Bardia very well and will help us understand this magnificent part of the world.
It is our responsibility as informed global citizens to engage in global issues. Problems taking place on the other side of the world are easy to ignore. However, human-wildlife conflict is taking place all over the globe. We might not be able to change the world but we can contribute to positive change in one specific area.
- Where are the elephants located in the park?
- What are their needs?
- How do the seasons affect the migration patterns?
- What have the locals tried already and how successful has it been?
- What is the current view that the local villagers have of the elephants?
- What are the various layers of human-wildlife conflict?
- What is the play of ‘Indigenous ways versus modern ways’ in the dynamics of HWC?
- What are the local people’s experiences regarding HWC? How have they changed over time?
- What are the current practices of Human-Elephant-Conflict mitigation? What has been tried in the Khata area and what else could be tried?
- What are the important considerations in designing conflict mitigation interventions?
- What existing local experiences and knowledge can be harnessed and tied in with newer potential ideas to create ways to coexist with wildlife?