{"id":69043,"date":"2025-10-15T11:19:23","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T05:49:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=69043"},"modified":"2025-10-15T11:19:23","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T05:49:23","slug":"wild-elephant-numbers-decline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wild-elephant-numbers-decline\/","title":{"rendered":"Wild Elephant Numbers Decline by 18% &#8211; DNA-Based Census"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Wild Elephant Latest News<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s first-ever DNA-based elephant census has estimated 22,446 wild elephants, showing an 18% decline since 2017.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Elephants in India: Symbol of Heritage and Ecological Balance<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Elephants hold deep ecological, cultural, and spiritual significance in India.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Revered in mythology as symbols of strength and wisdom, elephants are also <\/span><b>keystone species<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, playing a vital role in maintaining forest ecosystems.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India is home to over <\/span><b>60% of the global Asian elephant population<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, making it crucial to the survival of the species.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Habitat and Distribution<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Asian elephants in India are distributed across <\/span><b>four major landscapes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: the <\/span><b>Western Ghats<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>North Eastern Hills and Brahmaputra floodplains<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>Shivalik Hills and Gangetic plains<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <\/span><b>Central India and Eastern Ghats<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Major elephant-bearing states include <\/span><b>Karnataka, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Uttarakhand, and Odisha<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Together, these states account for more than 80% of India\u2019s elephant population.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Threats to Elephant Populations<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Habitat fragmentation and encroachment<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> due to agriculture, mining, and infrastructure projects.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Human-elephant conflict<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> often results in loss of lives and property on both sides.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Poaching<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for ivory and retaliatory killings.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Barriers to migration corridors<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, including railways, highways, and power lines, disrupt traditional movement patterns.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Invasive plant species<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and land-use changes, particularly in the Western Ghats and Northeast, are further degrading habitats.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Conservation Status and Legal Protection<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>Asian elephant (Elephas maximus)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is listed as <\/span><b>Endangered<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on the <\/span><b>IUCN Red List<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and is included in <\/span><b>Schedule I<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of India\u2019s <\/span><b>Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, providing the highest level of legal protection.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is also included in <\/span><b>Appendix I of CITES<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which prohibits international trade of elephant parts.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Conservation Efforts in India<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India has implemented several measures for elephant conservation, including:<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/project-elephant\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Project Elephant<\/b><\/a><b> (1992)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; A flagship initiative to ensure long-term conservation and management of elephants and their habitats.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Elephant Corridors Programme<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Identification and protection of 101 critical corridors across India to facilitate safe migration.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Gaj Yatra Campaign<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; A nation-wide awareness initiative promoting coexistence between humans and elephants.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Technology-based monitoring<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Use of satellite mapping, camera traps, and mobile apps such as <\/span><b>M-Stripes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for population estimation and conflict management.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>News Summary &#8211; India\u2019s First DNA-Based Elephant Census Sets a New Benchmark<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s wild elephant population has been estimated at <\/span><b>22,446<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, according to the <\/span><b>Synchronous All-India Elephant Estimation (SAIEE) 2021\u201325<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, released by the <\/span><b>Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>Project Elephant<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and the <\/span><b>Wildlife Institute of India<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This marks an <\/span><b>18% decline<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from the 2017 estimate of <\/span><b>27,312 elephants<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, though officials emphasise that the figures are <\/span><b>\u201cnot directly comparable\u201d<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> due to the introduction of <\/span><b>new, scientific methodology<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The latest estimation, India\u2019s <\/span><b>first-ever DNA-based count<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, provides a <\/span><b>new baseline<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for future monitoring and conservation planning.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It used <\/span><b>genetic mark-recapture methods<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, previously employed for tiger population surveys, to offer a more accurate picture of elephant abundance and distribution.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>How the DNA-Based Census Was Conducted<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 2025 elephant census combined <\/span><b>ground-based surveys, satellite mapping, and DNA fingerprinting<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over <\/span><b>21,000 dung samples<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> were collected from elephant landscapes across <\/span><b>20 states<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">DNA extracted from these samples helped identify <\/span><b>4,065 unique elephants<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> using genetic markers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The final population estimate was derived through a <\/span><b>mark-recapture model<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which extrapolates total population size based on identified individuals.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The exercise covered <\/span><b>6.7 lakh km of forest trails<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and examined <\/span><b>over 3.1 lakh dung plots<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unlike traditional methods, which relied on direct sightings or dung-decay rates, the new approach provides a <\/span><b>statistically robust, non-invasive, and replicable<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> method for long-term monitoring.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Key Findings of the 2025 Report<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Total Population:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 22,446 elephants (range: 18,255-26,645).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Regional Distribution:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Western Ghats:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 11,934 elephants (largest stronghold).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>North Eastern Hills and Brahmaputra Floodplains:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 6,559 elephants.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Shivalik Hills and Gangetic Plains:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 2,062 elephants.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Central India and Eastern Ghats:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 1,891 elephants.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>State-Wise Leaders:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Karnataka<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 6,013 elephants (highest), <\/span><b>Assam<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 4,159, <\/span><b>Tamil Nadu<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 3,136, <\/span><b>Kerala<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 2,785, <\/span><b>Uttarakhand<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 1,792, <\/span><b>Odisha<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 912<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Ecological Insights and Conservation Concerns<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The report emphasises the <\/span><b>fragmentation of elephant habitats<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> across key landscapes, with corridors increasingly disrupted by <\/span><b>railways, roads, hydropower projects, and encroachments<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the <\/span><b>Western Ghats<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, elephants are losing connectivity due to <\/span><b>coffee and tea plantations<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, fencing, and land-use changes. In <\/span><b>Central India<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>mining pressures<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> remain a major threat.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Experts note that while the apparent decline in population may partly reflect methodological improvements, it also underscores <\/span><b>real pressures on elephant habitats<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The government has therefore called for <\/span><b>stronger enforcement of habitat protection<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>restoration of ecological corridors<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <\/span><b>community-based conflict mitigation measures<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Significance of the New Baseline<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The SAIEE 2025 marks a <\/span><b>scientific milestone<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in wildlife monitoring, establishing a <\/span><b>reliable and repeatable framework<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for tracking elephant populations.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Officials assert that this new approach will enable better integration of <\/span><b>genetic, spatial, and ecological data<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, thereby strengthening India\u2019s ability to plan conservation strategies under <\/span><b>Project Elephant 2.0<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a revamped version currently being drafted.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/energy-and-environment\/indias-wild-elephant-numbers-drop-by-18-first-dna-based-count-shows\/article70163088.ece#:~:text=India&#039;s%20wild%20elephant%20population%20has,with%20an%20average%20of%2022%2C446.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TH<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/india\/india-elephant-numbers-fall-centre-not-comparable-past-estimate-10306285\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>India\u2019s first-ever DNA-based elephant census estimates the population of  wild elephants at 22,446, marking an 18% decline from 2017.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":69044,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[60,22,59,3258],"class_list":{"0":"post-69043","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-mains-articles","9":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","10":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","11":"tag-wild-elephant","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69043","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69043"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69043\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69044"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}