Thiruvananthapuram: The state govt should study elephant corridors and movement paths more comprehensively and give the corridors legal and statutory protection, said Prerna Singh Bindra, former member of the National Board for Wildlife.Speaking online at “Vanaspandanam”, organised by Coexistence Collective and State Central Library on Tuesday, Bindra said more corridors and paths should be identified so that govt can notify them.“We have to decide what kind of protection should be provided—whether the area should be declared a protected reserve, community reserve or eco-sensitive zone,” she said.Only a quarter of the elephant range is in protected areas, she said. “The Union ministry has mapped around 150 elephant corridors, but this does not automatically ensure their protection. We need to examine the criteria used to map these corridors, including whether elephants are using them and whether there are any obstructions.”P S Easa, former director of Kerala Forest Research Institute, said managing human-elephant conflict needs science-based policy and site-specific measures, not the wholesale adoption of models from Kenya or Assam. He called for a synchronised census and analysis across the four southern states.Corridors and movement paths were likely to increase as habitats fragmented, while many existing routes had been lost, he said. Tirunelli–Kudrakote, among the first corridors identified, could no longer be considered one, and Chinnakanal’s link to Thekkady was lost. Isolated populations risked inbreeding and infant deaths.He said food shortage was often blamed for conflict, but most incidents occurred between August and November, when food was abundant. Water scarcity was also cited, though Wayanad, Periyar, Parambikulam and Peechi had several water sources and artificial ponds.Chief wildlife warden P Pugazhendi said there was no elephant conservation plan or elephant sanctuary in place. “We can discuss elephant corridors or habitats only if they have legal backing,” he said.
