Spatiotemporal movement pattern of Asian Elephants Elephas maximus Linnaeus, 1758 in Sindhudurg District, Maharashtra, India

Abstract

The extension of the Asian Elephant’s Elephas maximus range in the northern Western Ghats (Sahyadri) was observed since 2002. This colonization was marked by elephant crop raiding events in the newly colonized Sindhudurg District, where the local community had no experience of living with elephants. The present study was conducted to understand the spatiotemporal patterns of crop depredation (raiding) and to prioritize areas to inform future interventions on managing this ecological phenomenon turned conflict. Data on crop raiding between 2002 and 2015 was obtained from compensation records with the state forest department, and mapped at village scale. Subsequently, we used three indices of crop raiding, viz., Crop Raiding Frequency (CRF), Relative Crop Raiding Intensity (RCRI), and Crop Raiding Vulnerability Index (CRVI). Results show a gradual northern movement of elephants and of the crop raiding zone over the period of 2002–2015. The rankings provided by CRVI, identified villages in a narrow strip of foothills of the Sahyadri mountains as severely vulnerable. With sufficient long term data, CRVI would be a highly useful index for prioritization of villages for resolving human-elephant negative interactions; and other cases of human-wildlife interactions too.

State-led agricultural subsidies drive monoculture cultivar cashew expansion in northern Western Ghats, India

“…In South Maharashtra, common cashew was grown traditionally for centuries, but first gained large-scale commercial popularity across the world in the 1970s as it required less agricultural inputs compared to other crops such as rice and finger millet [ 21 ]. Farmers now grow rice and cashew, alongside crops such as coconut, arecanut, and bananas [ 42 , 50 ]. Cultivar varieties of cashew were first developed at the onset of the Green Revolution in 1974 in India [ 55 ].…”

“…By 1996–97, 13,695 ha of total land area was growing cultivar cashew under the Horticulture Development Scheme [ 58 ]. In the state of Maharashtra, eight cultivar varieties—ranging from Vengurla-1 to Vengurla-8, were introduced from 1974 to 2001 by the Vengurla Regional Fruit Research Centre based in Vengurla, Maharashtra and affiliated to the Maharashtra State Government [ 50 ]. Of these, Vengurla-4 and Vengurla-7 were, and continue to be, most preferred in south Maharashtra, as they fruit within 4 years and yield 17.2 and 18.5 kg of cashew nuts respectively per tree as opposed to common cashew which takes 7 to 10 years to yield a stable production of about 10 to 12 kg [ 55 ].…”

“…Agriculture is the primary occupation in this region and major crops include cashew, rubber, bamboo, and rice, with smallholdings of coconut, banana, and areca nut. In more recent years, pineapple is increasingly cultivated [ 42 , 50 ]. The villagers depend on forests for firewood and minor forest produce such as bamboo, cane, honey, and medicinal plants [ 42 ].…”

Detailed Spatial Analysis of Human–Elephant Conflict, with an Emphasis on Correlates of the Socio-Ecological Aspects in Southern Maharashtra, India

“…Yet, the traditional elephant range did not include the states of Maharashtra, Goa, and northern parts of Karnataka state (Kulkarni and Mehta, 2011). The historical range of elephants in the Western Ghats is suggested to have extended farther north than the present range (Patil et al, 2021). Since November 2002, elephants from Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary were reported further north in the forest-plantation mosaic of Sindhudurg and Kolhapur districts of Maharashtra (Patil and Patil, 2017).…”