New Delhi: The estimated elephant population and tigers will be carried out in convergence for the first time in the country next year unlike previous exercises when both animals are used to be calculated separately in different years.
“There is an urgent need to improve and align the estimated population method along a more scientific line in various countries in India,” said Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav while releasing the protocol from the shared population estimation training on Thursday.
Emphasizing the involvement of indigenous and customary communities in elephant conservation, Yadav said that the bottom-up approach must be a way forward, which will also help in minimizing human-elephant conflicts as well.
Joint estimation procedures will involve strict statistical analysis “from land data on animal signs, human impacts, habitat attributes and absolute density”.
“This method is considered much more accurate than the previous method.
Done in three phases and involving basic surveys, data analysis felt remotely and the camera trap,” said an official.
The elephant population using this method will be assessed for the first time while this procedure is routinely used to estimate the tiger population and leopards in India.
The last estimation exercise for elephants was carried out in 2017 when it was carried out for tigers and leopards together in 2018.
In 2022, the three animals would be calculated in convergence.
Remote camera traps are deployed throughout the habitat of wildlife to record images of tigers, leopards and other wildlife.
Tigers and leopards are identified from stripe patterns and unique rosette using computer software.
Individual elephants will be identified from DNA-based DNA profiles they use microsatelite markers panels.
Elephant density will be estimated based on genetic signs – reclaiming the samples of dirt.
“Standard protocols when used to taste all potential habitats of elephants, tigers, and leopards throughout India will provide scientific assessment of the status and estimates of their population needed for the formulation of policy and conservation management,” said services in new records on the new protocol.
Asian elephants are registered as ‘endangered’ on the list of IUCN Red species threatened.
This has been done because most countries are reduced, except India, have lost their elephant population that is worthy of loss of wild habitat and hunting.
The current population estimate shows that there are around 50,000-60000 Asian elephants in the world, most are limited in South and Southeast Asian countries.
More than 60% of them are in India.