Habitat disruption key reason for elephant incursions in Tripura: Minister

 Tripura Forest Minister Animesh Debbarma on Tuesday said habitat disruption and blockage of traditional movement routes were key reasons behind elephants straying into human settlements in the state.

Addressing a seminar on human-animal interaction at Pragna Bhavan here, Debbarma said, “Elephants often enter inhabited areas after their traditional corridors are obstructed or forest lands that provided adequate food are encroached upon.”

He said the government needed to devise scientific and practical measures to mitigate human-elephant conflict and suggested radio collaring as one possible intervention. “We have to preserve and restore natural habitats to enable elephants to move freely within designated corridors,” he said.

The minister said steps should be taken to ensure that elephant corridors remain functional and that necessary interventions are implemented to reduce conflict. 

He noted that farmers living near forest areas are particularly vulnerable as crop damage caused by elephants directly affects their livelihoods.

“Seminars and academic discussions would be meaningful only if they lead to actionable solutions. We should adopt a research-based approach and I personally feel that involvement of young researchers in addressing the issue would be helpful for us,” said Debbarma.

Highlighting conservation efforts, he said the state has undertaken measures such as construction of check dams and promotion of agro-forestry projects to conserve forests, water and soil.

He also said the state government would initiate talks with the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) to explore the construction of underpasses along highways to facilitate safe movement of elephants.