Elephant count falls by 18% in 4 years

The Indian wild elephant population has declined by 18 per cent to 22,446 from 27,312 in 2017, according to the country's first-ever DNA-based count whose findings were released on Tuesday, nearly four years after the survey began in 2021.

However, officials said the two estimates could not be compared due to differences in methodology and protocol. “The current approach, based on genetic mark recapture, offers a statistically robust alternative, albeit one that is resource-intensive and technically demanding,” said the report called All India Elephant Estimation 2021–25.

The survey found the maximum elephant population in Western Ghats (11,934), followed by North Eastern Hills and Brahmaputra floodplains (6,559), Shivalik Hills and Gangetic plains (2,062), and Central India and Eastern Ghats (1,891).

The report flagged that the once-contiguous elephant population in the Western Ghats was rapidly disconnecting due to changing land use, including expanding commercial plantations (coffee and tea), invasive plants, farmland fencing, human encroachment and mushrooming developmental projects.

“This fragmentation jeopardises habitat contiguity, emphasising the importance of safeguarding the connectivity in the landscape to enable free movement for the animal. Elephant habitats in the East Central landscape face fragmentation and deterioration from unmitigated mining and linear infrastructure construction, habitat degradation due to invasive plant species and human use,” the report said.

The Northeast landscape holds the second largest elephant population of the country. However, the report highlighted that the historical exploitation of natural resources since the colonial era, driven by the productive nature of the floodplains and geopolitical considerations, had led to habitat fragmentation and increased conflicts. Currently, elephants are distributed in pockets amid various human land use patterns, including habitation, tea plantations and mines.

While Karnataka had the highest number of wild elephants, it was also one of the major hotspots for human-elephant conflict, the report flagged.

The Wildlife Institute of India, which published the report, said the census established a baseline for future work on the genetic prioritisation of elephant population across the country. “Beyond the data and analysis, this report highlights the ecological importance of elephants and the urgent need to address growing conservation challenges linked to habitat loss and fragmentation. The insights it offers will play a key role in shaping future conservation planning and policy, helping ensure that elephants continue to thrive as an essential part of India's natural heritage,” the institute said.