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Wildlife Conservation Efforts

Status of Elephants in India Report (2025)

Species | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia

Why in the News?

The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) released its report “Status of Elephants in India” on October 14, 2025, marking the country’s first-ever DNA-based elephant population estimation.

Elephants in India:

  • Overview: Elephas maximus, Asian Elephant, listed as Endangered (IUCN); protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 and Appendix I of CITES.
  • National Importance: India sustains over 60 % of the global wild Asian elephant population, making it a global conservation stronghold.
  • Conservation Framework:
    • Project Elephant (1992) – habitat protection, research, corridor restoration, and conflict management.
    • Elephant Reserves – 33 notified across 15 states, covering ~80,000 sq km.
    • Corridor Initiatives – joint mapping of ~101 corridors by WII, WWF-India, and WTI to ensure genetic connectivity.
  • Major Landscapes:
    • Western Ghats – dense forests with corridor fragmentation.
    • North-Eastern Hills – contiguous habitats under human pressure.
    • Central India & Eastern Ghats – isolated herds with high conflict.
    • Shivalik–Gangetic Plains – corridor bottlenecks amid dense settlements.
  • Ecological Role: Elephants act as ecosystem engineers, dispersing seeds, maintaining forest–grassland balance, and regulating hydrology.

About Status of Elephants in India Report (2025):

  • Publisher & Framework: Released by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) under Project Elephant. It employs, for the first time in India, a DNA-based mark–recapture (genetic) estimation method for elephant census.
  • Census Period & Title: Conducted between 2021–2025, termed the Synchronous All-India Population Estimation of Elephants (SAIEE 2021-25).
  • Feature: Combines genetic sampling, field transects, and spatial-capture–recapture modelling.
  • Scientific Advancement: Establishes India’s first genetic reference library for elephants, linking individuals, herds, and landscapes for improved long-term monitoring.
  • Policy Context: Conducted under Project Elephant (1992) to align with national targets for corridor protection, conflict mitigation, and ecosystem restoration.

Key Highlights:

  • Total Population (2025): 22,446 wild Asian elephants estimated nationwide using genetic data.
  • Previous Estimate (2017): About 29,964; apparent ~25 % drop due to new methodology rather than actual decline.
  • Regional Distribution:
    • Western Ghats Landscape: 11,934 (≈ 53 %)
    • North-East & Brahmaputra Plains: 6,559 (≈ 22 %)
    • Shivalik Hills & Gangetic Plains: 2,062 (≈ 9 %)
    • Central India & Eastern Ghats: 1,891 (≈ 8 %)
  • State-wise Concentration: Karnataka (6,013), Assam (4,159), Tamil Nadu (3,136), Kerala (2,785), Uttarakhand (1,792), Odisha (912).
  • Demographic Insights: DNA profiling enabled sex ratio identification, family linkages, and migration-corridor tracking, turning a static census into a dynamic population map.
  • Conservation Implications: WII urges genetic recensuses every 5 years, restoration of identified corridors, and integration of coexistence models in land-use planning.
[UPSC 2020] With reference to Indian elephants, consider the following statements:

1. The leader of an elephant group is a female.

2. The maximum gestation period can be 22 months.

3. An elephant can normally go on calving till the age of 40 years only.

4. Among the States in India, the highest elephant population is in Kerala.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Options: (a) 1 and 2 only * (b) 2 and 4 only (c) 3 only (d) 1, 3 and 4 only

 

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