2021-12-11 17:09:22
KVIC’s Project RE-HAB in Assam to Prevent Elephant – Human Conflicts
KVIC India has launched “Project RE-HAB” at Village Mornoi in Goalpara district of Assam, an area which is severely affected by recurrent elephant-human conflicts. Assam has the vegetation of dense forests wherein a large part of the state is infested by elephants.
Between 2014 and 2019, the state has witnessed 332 human deaths due to elephant attacks.
Prior to Assam, KVIC India had successfully implemented this innovative project at four locations around village Chelur in the Kodagu district of Karnataka on 15th March 2021. In the last 6 months, Project RE-HAB has reduced elephant attacks by over 70% in the state.
Elephant-Human Conflicts in India
Elephant-human conflict happens due to a loss of habitat and fragmentation.
Nearly 500 people die annually due to elephant attacks in India which is approximately 10 times more than the fatalities caused by big cats across the nation. From 2015 to 2020, nearly 2500 people have lost their lives in elephant attacks. On the other hand, around one-fifth of this number, i.e. some 500 elephants have also died in retaliation by humans in the last 5 years.
In fact, this issue is a great threat to biodiversity conservation, and therefore the management of such conflict is a primary goal for elephant conservation while also ensuring safety of people.
What is Project RE-HAB?
Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) launched this innovative “Project RE-HAB” to mitigate human-elephant conflicts in the country with the use of “bee-fences”.
The Project aims to prevent elephant attacks in human habitations using honey bees and thus reduce the loss of lives of both, humans as well as elephants.
It is scientifically proved that elephants are annoyed by honey bees. Under RE-HAB, “Bee-fences” are created by setting up bee boxes in the passageways of elephants to block their entry into human territories. The boxes are connected with a string, so when elephants attempt to pass through, a tug or pull releases the trapped bees which in turn swarm the elephant herds and dissuade them from progressing further.
KVIC has developed this cost-effective technique to reduce human-wild conflicts without causing any harm to the animals. Elephants fear that the bee swarms can bite their sensitive inner side of the trunk and eyes which makes this technique uniquely effective as the collective buzz of the bees forces them to return.
Project RE-HAB fulfils two purposes;
Other than reducing Human-Elephant Conflict using bees, As a sub-mission of KVIC’s National Honey Mission, the Project also intends to increase the bee population, honey production and beekeepers’ income by setting up apiaries. It uses bee boxes as a fence to prevent elephant attacks, thereby meeting both objectives.
Project RE-HAB in Assam
As per the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, a total of 330 interspersed bee boxes will be installed at Mornoi and Dahikata villages of Assam in a week’s time to prevent elephant’s entry into these regions. The bee boxes have been distributed among 33 farmers and educated youths of these villages whose families have been troubled by elephant attacks.
These villages face the issue of Crop-raiding almost every day for 9 to 10 months a year. The problem is so severe that villagers had stopped cultivating their farms due to the fear of elephant attacks. The Conflict is further instigated in these villages since they have abundant production of paddy, litchi and jackfruit which attract Elephants.
The government has installed high-resolution night vision cameras at strategic points to record the impact of bees on elephants and their behaviour in these zones.
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