The Supreme Court on Monday emphasised the need to protect elephant corridors across the country, observing that States cannot obstruct the natural movement of elephants merely because their movement causes crop damage.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant stressed that elephant herds travel long distances between habitats and must have uninterrupted routes for their movement.
“We are very clear that there cannot be obstacles in the way of wildlife. Elephant herds have a practice of travelling long distances. No State can say that just because crops are getting destroyed, there have to be obstacles in their path,” the CJI observed.
The Court was informed that the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has issued mandatory guidelines for ensuring seamless and unobstructed movement of elephants through designated corridors. However, several such corridors have reportedly been impeded or blocked due to local factors.
Taking note of the issue, the Supreme Court directed the Union Environment Ministry to conduct a fresh survey of elephant corridors across different States and submit a comprehensive status report.
The report has been directed to detail the initiatives and steps taken to prevent obstruction of elephant corridors. The Court also asked the Centre to specifically disclose the position regarding the use of firearms and other coercive measures against elephants.
The Court noted in its order that although mandatory guidelines are in place to ensure unobstructed elephant movement, corridors in several areas have been “impeded, blocked or obstructed” due to local factors.
The directions came amid concerns over the manner in which elephants are being driven away from human settlements and agricultural areas.
During the hearing, counsel informed the Court that elephants are sometimes chased by groups of people in a mob-like manner, which can aggravate human-elephant conflict rather than resolve it.
“They are chased in a very mob-like situation, which in fact exacerbates the situation, aggravates the situation,” counsel submitted.
The Court also heard concerns regarding the use of firearms and other coercive measures against elephants while they move along their traditional routes. Counsel urged the Court to take steps to prevent such practices and called for restrictions on “hulla parties” used to drive elephants away.
The CJI directed that appropriate measures be taken and that the Court be apprised of the action through the status report.
Elephant corridors serve as vital links between fragmented wildlife habitats. They enable elephants to move between feeding, breeding and shelter areas while maintaining ecological connectivity.
Protecting these corridors is also crucial for reducing human-elephant conflict. Blocking traditional movement routes can force elephants into human settlements and agricultural fields, potentially increasing encounters with people and resulting in crop damage and risks to both humans and wildlife.
According to Elephant Corridors of India, 2023, prepared with technical support from the Wildlife Institute of India, elephant corridors have been identified across 14 elephant-range States under Project Elephant.
The country has 150 identified elephant corridors across four regions. The East-Central region accounts for 52 corridors, followed by the North-East with 48, the Southern region with 32 and the Northern region with 18.
West Bengal has the highest number of identified corridors at 26. The national network also includes 19 inter-State corridors and six transboundary corridors connecting India with Nepal.
The Supreme Court's latest directions underline that conservation measures must ensure the continued and natural movement of elephants while also addressing the challenges arising from human-elephant conflict.
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