Indian Elephant Corridors Appeal
The Wildlife Trust of India has identified 88 elephant corridors, which have been prioritised according to their conservation importance and feasibility of protection. WTI and the World Land Trust are working together to protect these corridors one by one.
Project aim
The Indian Elephant Corridor Appeal aims to a create a network of forest corridors that will enable Indian Elephants to move safely between protected areas, avoid human-elephant conflict and protect critical elephant habitat.
Ensuring the survival of a ‘flagship’ species like the Asian elephant requires the protection of the entire habitat, which means that the initiative will also benefit other wildlife.
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How WLT is helping
The WLT is funding the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) to secure strategic areas within identified elephant migratory routes and create wildlife corridors.
In a country with more than a billion people, it is vital that any conservation initiative involves the local communities and this project benefits not only the wildlife but also villagers by reducing human-animal conflict.
In some wildlife corridors WLT and WTI work hard to ensure villagers affected by human-animal conflict are voluntarily relocated to an area where they can live safely away from elephants and tigers. In other corridors the project also provides the financial capability and expertise to create alternative livelihoods to the ‘slash-and burn’ agriculture, which has led to the rapid depletion of natural forests.
Urgent funding needed
WLT currently needs further funds to complete the protection of the Turnelli-Kudrakote Corridor and to secure a new, third corridor in adjoining Corbett National Park, where there has been a recent increase in human conflict with tigers.
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- Specify "Indian Elephant Corridors Appeal" in the comments box to earmark your donation for India.
Biodiversity
- India is home to 60% of the remaining Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus) population making their survival in India critical to the survival of the species as a whole.
- Other species protected by these corridors include: Tiger (Panthera tigris), Gaur (Bos gaurus) (Indian Bison), Clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) and Himilayan Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus).
Threats to Elephant Corridors
- Habitat loss leading to fragmentation, is a serious threat to Indian elephants and results in small isolated populations of elephants that are vulnerable to extinction.
- Large animals like elephants, require substantial areas to support them. If protected areas are not large enough, elephants may search for food elsewhere. This often results in conflicts with humans, due to elephants raiding or destroying crops.
The corridors
The WLT has so far funded the protection of two wildlife corridors. The Siju-Rewark Corridor, which has been completed successfully and the Tirunelli-Kudrakote Corridor, which is nearing completion. In 2011 WLT began the process of supporting a third corridor in Corbett. This area is in desperate need of support due to the high level of human-tiger conflict.
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Sir David Attenborough, WLT Patron
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