President marks 30 years of Project Elephant at Kaziranga

Source: The post is based on the article “President marks 30 years of Project Elephant at Kaziranga” published in The Hindu on 11th April 2023

What is the News?

The President of India took part in Gaj Utsav at Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) in Assam to mark 30 years of Project Elephant.

What is Project Elephant?

Project Elephant was launched in 1992 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.

Objectives: 

– Conservation and protection of the viable populations of wild elephants in their natural habitats in the country; 

– The restoration of natural habitats and traditional corridors/migratory routes or movement paths used by the elephants, wherever necessary, through eco-restoration, acquisition etc; 

– Ensuring safeguards against poaching and other threats; 

– Mitigation and control of human-elephant conflicts; 

– Welfare and management of captive elephants; and 

– Creating a viable mechanism to ensure inter-state and regional and national level coordination in protecting and conserving the elephant and its ranges.

About Elephant Population in India

As per the 2017 census, the current population estimates for Asian elephants in India are about 30,000.  

Asian elephants are confined to South Asia and South East Asia and about 60% of the global population of Asian elephants is found in India.  

In India, elephants were declared as a National Heritage Animal in the year 2010.

IUCN Red List: Asian elephants are listed as “Endangered“. This has been done as most of the range states except India, have lost their viable elephant populations due to loss of habitats & poaching etc.

Indian Elephant has also been listed in Appendix I of the Convention of the Migratory Species in the Conference of Parties of CMS 13 at Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat in February 2020.