Frequent conflicts between wild elephants in the southern province
of Dong Nai and local residents have increased the need for urgent
protection of the endangered mammal.
Since 2009,
the conflicts have killed one local residents and injured tow, whilst
claiming the lives of nine wild elephants.
Due to
habitat loss, the elephants move closer to areas of human settlement and
destroy local crops, causing heavy economic losses and affecting
thousands of local households.
According to the
Forest Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development, Asian elephants now only live in two other localities in
Vietnam outside of Dong Nai, namely the central province of Nghe An and
the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak.
The
animal is considered endangered by the UN Red List and critically
endangered by the Vietnam Red Book. The government has also included
Asian elephants in the group of rare and endangered animals prioritised
for urgent protection.
Research conducted by
Vietnamese and Indian experts in December 2001 showed that the total
wild elephant population in Dong Nai is 15-20 individuals. Meanwhile,
the province’s Forest Protection Department estimated the number at 17
in 2009 and ten individuals in 2013.
Increased
habitat loss is posing a severe threat to elephants. Local foresters in
Dong Nai said the natural habitat for wild Asian elephants decreased
from 50,000ha in the 1990s to 14,000 ha in 2005, mostly in Cat Tien
National Park.
Between 2006 and 2009, elephants
expanded their territory to 34,000ha, encroaching on residential areas
in Ma Da and Phu Ly communes in Vinh Cuu district. Last year and early
this year, the elephants approached the forests near Thanh Son commune
in Dinh Quan district and parts of the La Nga forestry company
plantation.
According to Tran Van Mui, Director of
the Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve, elephants’ habitats are being reduced
and degraded, leading to a lack of food and more conflicts between the
animals and residents.
In Phu Ly commune in Vinh Cuu
district, elephant herds destroyed 14.4ha of crops in 2007 and 19ha in
2008. In 2013, almost 50ha of cropland was destroyed by elephants in the
whole province, along with a number of damages to property, he said.
In a bid to improve the situation, the People’s
Committee of Dong Nai approved a 74 billion VND (3.47 million USD)
project to protect wild elephants in the locality, which is to be
implemented in the natural forests of Vinh Cuu, Tan Phu and Dinh Quan
districts.
According to Dong Nai’s Department of
Agriculture and Rural Development, the project will focus on assessing
the elephant population, distribution and movements, while planning the
expansion of their habitat to provide sustainable natural living
conditions.
The project will also seek ways to avoid
conflict between people and elephants, while increasing communication
efforts to raise the public’s awareness of the importance of protecting
wild elephants.
Meanwhile, the Dong Nai Biosphere
Reserve also implemented a 9 billion VND project to build a 30km fence,
using solar power to generate electric shocks that keep elephants inside
the reserve but do not hurt them.-VNA