GPS study recommends dist panels, warning systems to curb human-elephant conflict in Assam

Guwahati: A five-year GPS tracking study has recommended district-level coordination committees, anti-electrocution cells and early warning systems along vulnerable roads and railway tracks to reduce human-elephant conflict in Assam. The study, conducted by the Assam forest department and WWF-India, tracked four female-led elephant herds and a solitary male across Udalguri, Sonitpur and Biswanath districts between 2021 and 2026, generating more than 38,000 GPS locations.“The findings of this five-year study provide important baseline information on elephant ranging patterns, particularly where they overlap with human land use,” said Vinay Gupta, principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) and chief wildlife warden of Assam.

WWF-India’s elephant conservation programme lead Aritra Kshettry said the findings provided an evidence base for protecting elephant habitats and movement routes while enabling more proactive conflict management. The findings were published in a report titled ‘Tracking the Giants: Movement and Habitat-Use Patterns of GPS-Collared Elephants in Assam’, which was released by state environment and forest minister Jayanta Malla Baruah in Guwahati during the 72nd wildlife week celebrations.

The report recommended district-level committees headed by district commissioners, bringing together the forest, police, electricity, agriculture and disaster management departments, along with tea estate management and local communities. It also proposed range-level anti-electrocution cells involving forest and electricity officials, police, NGOs and community representatives to curb illegal live-wire fencing and address exposed wires and unsafe power infrastructure.

Safer fencing, aerial bundled cables and targeted awareness campaigns were among the suggested measures. Sonai Rupai, Behali and Bornadi wildlife sanctuaries were identified as key habitats used extensively by the collared elephants.

Protected areas and reserve forests remained their primary habitats, while tea plantations served as important movement routes and secondary habitats, bringing elephants closer to human settlements. The study also found that the home ranges of female-led herds expanded during the paddy-cropping season, when the man-elephant conflict generally intensifies.

Elephants also used river channels to move between forests along the Himalayan foothills and grasslands, locally known as chaporis, along the Brahmaputra. The report appealed for early warning systems along vulnerable stretches, using radio telemetry data to identify high-risk locations, supported by public announcements and bulk SMS alerts.

It also recommended protecting the Nameri-Sonai Rupai-Arimora corridor and riverine routes from infrastructure pressures through underpasses, overpasses and land-use regulations. For crop losses, the report proposed compensation and financial incentives for affected communities, including cultivators without formal land titles.

It also suggested developing elephant-friendly grasslands near existing habitats with local participation in their management. The study documented seasonal elephant movement across the Assam-Bhutan border between Udalguri and Bhutan’s Jomotsangkha Wildlife Sanctuary, underscoring the need for coordinated conservation efforts between the two countries.

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Key quotes

• “The findings of this five-year study provide important baseline information on elephant ranging patterns, particularly where they overlap with human land use,”