Background:
The population in the border region of Nepal and India is growing and land use is being intensified: Forest is transformed into farmland, settlements or infrastructure - the elephants' habitat is shrinking. However, elephants need a lot of space: they spend up to 19 hours a day searching for food in an area of around 300 km²! Roads lead through forest areas where the animals have their retreat. If villagers walk along the roads in the forest in the evening, they quickly find themselves in danger. Without early warning systems, they do not know where the elephants are. Smallholder farmers often risk their lives to keep the elephants away from their fields. People's behavior is often due to a lack of knowledge.
In this project, we are working to protect the last 150 elephants living there by training elephant protection groups, educating local people on alternative income opportunities, establishing training and awareness-raising measures, installing an early warning system and revising local management plans to protect the elephants.