{"id":69657,"date":"2025-10-21T11:32:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T06:02:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=69657"},"modified":"2025-10-24T16:44:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T11:14:10","slug":"indias-elephant-population-2025-what-the-new-wii-report-reveals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/indias-elephant-population-2025-what-the-new-wii-report-reveals\/","title":{"rendered":"India\u2019s Elephant Population 2025: What the New WII Report Reveals"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Elephant Population Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) released its \u2018<\/span><b>Status of Elephants in India\u2019 report<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, estimating 22,446 elephants across four major landscapes.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This figure appears lower than the 2017 estimate of 29,964, but the WII clarified that the new DNA-based estimation method, used for the first time, establishes a fresh scientific baseline for future population monitoring rather than serving as a direct comparison with earlier counts.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Why India Switched to a New DNA-Based Method for Counting Elephants<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s elephant population estimates have evolved significantly since the first count in 1929 in the United Province (now Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Early surveys, up to 1978, relied on direct visual counts, averaging sightings recorded at 10-day intervals.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the launch of <\/span><b>Project Elephant in 1992,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> population estimation became a five-year exercise using varied techniques such as total count, waterhole count, dung count, and transect sampling.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, since <\/span><b>different states used different methods, comparisons across regions and years were inconsistent<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To address this, the Synchronised Elephant Census in 2005, 2010, and 2017 introduced uniform counting methods \u2014 including total (direct) counts and line transect dung (indirect) counts. Yet, limitations like observer bias and overcounting persisted.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recognising these challenges, India adopted the Synchronous All-India Elephant Estimation (SAIEE) for 2021\u201325, which employs a DNA-based approach.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This approach provides a more accurate, scientific, and comparable baseline for future elephant population monitoring.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>SAIEE 2021\u201325: A Scientific Overhaul of India\u2019s Elephant Census<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Synchronous All-India Elephant Estimation (SAIEE) 2021\u201325 marks a major methodological shift in tracking Asian elephants (Elephas maximus), which now occupy only a fraction of their historical range.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 2017 census had estimated 29,964 elephants, but the SAIEE recorded 22,446 \u2014 a drop of 7,518.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, experts from the WII and State Forest Departments cautioned against direct comparison.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SAIEE introduced a new scientific framework, excluded areas like the Andaman Islands (due to budget limits), and aimed to establish a fresh baseline for future monitoring.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under SAIEE, India was divided into 100 sq. km cells, further split into 4 sq. km grids, each uniquely coded to enable consistent spatial comparisons.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Enumerators walked 6,66,977 km, surveying 1,88,030 trails and transects, and collected 21,056 dung samples.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The process unfolded in three phases:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Phase I:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Collected field data on animal signs, dung counts, vegetation, and human disturbances.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Phase II:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Assessed habitat quality and human impacts, including forest cover and patch size.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Phase III:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Used the data for spatially explicit abundance estimation, factoring in both habitat and human influence.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The SAIEE thus represents India\u2019s most comprehensive and scientifically rigorous elephant census, creating a uniform national baseline for long-term conservation efforts.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Western Ghats Lead as India\u2019s Strongest Elephant Habitat<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The \u2018Status of Elephants in India\u2019 study covered four major elephant-bearing landscapes, revealing that over half of India\u2019s elephants live in the Western Ghats region.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Western Ghats (Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu)<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Home to 11,934 elephants (53.17%), this landscape supports the largest population.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Karnataka: 6,013 elephants<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tamil Nadu: 3,136 elephants<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kerala: 2,785 elephants<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>North Eastern Hills and Brahmaputra Flood Plains<\/b> <b>(7 NE States + North Bengal)<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Account for 22.22% of India\u2019s elephants, led by Assam with 4,159 elephants, making it the second-largest habitat zone.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Shivalik Hills and Gangetic Plains (Uttarakhand, UP, Bihar)<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hold 9.18% of the national total, with Uttarakhand leading at 1,792 elephants.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Central India and Eastern Ghats (AP, Maharashtra, Telangana, Odisha, S. West Bengal, etc.)<\/strong><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Contain 8.42% of India\u2019s elephants, with Odisha hosting 912 elephants.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Overall, the findings underscore the Western Ghats\u2019 pivotal role in elephant conservation, while highlighting the significant but smaller populations spread across India\u2019s northeastern, northern, and central landscapes.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b style=\"font-size: inherit;\">Fragmented Habitats and Rising Conflicts Threaten India\u2019s Elephants<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The study highlights <\/span><b>severe fragmentation of elephant habitats<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> caused by commercial plantations (coffee, tea), invasive species, farmland fencing, mining, encroachments, and development projects.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This degradation is forcing elephants to move into new areas \u2014 including regions that haven\u2019t seen elephants for nearly two centuries \u2014 <\/span><b>triggering frequent human-elephant conflicts<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A notable example is Andhra Pradesh, where elephants migrated from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka between 1980 and 1986, recolonising areas such as Kuppam and Palamaner in Chittoor district.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Karnataka, while hosting India\u2019s largest elephant population, faces <\/span><b>intense conflict<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in regions like <\/span><b>Nagarhole, Bandipur, and BRT Hills<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, where forest fires and monoculture plantations worsen habitat loss.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kerala and Tamil Nadu face similar pressures, with the Nilgiris\u2013Coimbatore belt witnessing 150 human and 170 elephant deaths so far.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Experts warn that unchecked habitat fragmentation could escalate conflicts further and endanger elephant populations.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They urge community engagement, awareness drives, and coexistence campaigns in both traditional habitats and newly colonised areas to ensure long-term conservation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b><strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/energy-and-environment\/why-do-elephants-face-a-jumbo-challenge-explained\/article70180130.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TH<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WII\u2019s 2025 report estimates 22,446 elephants in India using a new DNA-based census, revealing habitat loss, rising conflicts, and urgent conservation challenges.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":69992,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[3332,60,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-69657","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-elephant-population","9":"tag-mains-articles","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69657","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\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69657"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69657\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69992"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}