THE CRITICAL NEED

FOR ELEPHANT
RESERVES
 THE CRITICAL NEED
FOR ELEPHANT RESERVES

Copyright © 2021 – All rights reserved

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4815 Email: [email protected]

Published by WWF-India

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 CONTENTS
Summary9
Introduction: Why Elephants Need Space 11
How Elephant Reserves Help Elephants 13
Shivalik Elephant Reserve: Elephant Habitat from the Yamuna to the
Sharda14
Reconciling Elephant Reserves with other Interests 24
Conclusion: Prioritizing Elephants 27
References28

DIPANKAR GHOSE / WWF-INDIA

WWF INDIA 2021 5

 “Elephants […] seem to
have evolved similar social
“There is none in the world who
and cognitive capacities [to
would not be relieved of their
humans…] These parallels
fatigue and feel refreshed on the
between humans and elephants
banks of this enchanting river,
suggest a convergent cognitive
frequented by herds of elephants
evolution possibly related
who […] come here to drink.”
to complex sociality and
- Ram speaking to Sita in Valmiki’s Ramayana(1, 2) cooperation.”
- Frans de Waal, ethologist (5)

“Now Gautama and the other “My teacher says that of the two
sages who were there saw this forests, one productive of timber, “Given sufficient […] habitat […],
illustrious hermit [Palakapya] and another of elephants, the elephants have no problems and
who was spending his time former is the source of all kinds will create none for us, but […]
in silence in the midst of the of works and is of immense help when they find their familiar
elephant herd; and so they in forming a store-house, while trek routes blocked by men and
asked him: ‘Why do you anoint the latter is of reverse character. are confined to an inadequate
their wounds? What made tract, the disturbed animals
“Not so, says Kautilya, for it is
you take compassion on the become nervy and panic and
possible to plant timber-forests
elephant herd?’ Though the sages consequently wander about
in many places, but not an
questioned him thus he made no aimlessly, often turning hostile to
elephant-forest…”
reply.” men.”
- The Arthashastra by Kautilya (4)
- The Matanga-Lila by Nilakantha (3) - M. Krishnan, naturalist (6)

© RAVNEESH SINGH KLAIR / WWF-INDIA

WWF INDIA 2021 7

 SUMMARY
India’s elephants are an indispensable
part of our nation’s heritage, and their
protection is enshrined in our laws and
culture. Thus far, India has proven to
be a world leader in the conservation of
elephants, remaining home to some 60%
of the planet’s wild Asian elephants. This
remarkable achievement is in large part
due to strong laws and policies to conserve
the National Heritage Animal, as well
as conservation efforts in states where
elephants are found.

The recent debate about denotifying Shivalik Elephant

Reserve in Uttarakhand suggests the need for India to
review why elephant reserves are important, reaffirm our
commitment to protecting elephant habitat, and reimagine
how we can reconcile elephant conservation with other
critical priorities such as economic development and national
security. In this report, we use Shivalik Elephant Reserve as
an example to demonstrate the importance of the protections
offered by elephant reserves and explore how discussions
about management of elephant reserves can reconcile
conservation and development objectives. This report
highlights how the ecological and conservation benefits from
elephant reserves could motivate decision makers to explore
creative ways to realize economic and national security
objectives while also safeguarding India’s unparalleled
natural inheritance.

© DIPANKAR GHOSE / WWF-INDIA

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 INTRODUCTION: WHY ELEPHANTS
NEED SPACE
With about 27,000 of the approximately 50,000 remaining that elephants have large home ranges—while home ranges
wild Asian elephants, India has the world’s largest population vary across contexts, evidence suggests (typically solitary)
of this super-charismatic species (7, 8). This is nothing short males generally need about 250 sq. km. (though they use
of a miracle, and it should be a point of great Indian pride. much larger areas when in musth) and female-led herds
With over 1.3 billion human beings, India could easily have need around 1000 sq. km (2, 24). The result of the species’
become like other economically mobile and densely populated feeding ecology is that long-distance movement is core to
parts of the world—Western Europe, China, Japan, or the what it means to be an elephant, perhaps comparable to how
US (9–12)—decimating or exterminating most large-bodied communication is key to being human. Preventing elephants
species over the last centuries. Instead, Indians have by and from moving across their range might not only make it hard
large recognized that other animals have some inherent for them to survive (29–31)—it can produce frustrated, even
value (e.g.,(13)), and that human life is enriched when we confused giants more prone to conflict with people.
make room for fellow creatures as we develop human society.
Through the role they have played over thousands of years Elephants’ unparalleled spatial needs are at the heart of
across India’s diverse regions and cultures, elephants have why India’s elephant reserves are crucial to the survival of
helped Indians understand that humans are not alone in elephants. The recent debate about denotifying one of India’s
having intellect, emotions, curiosity, or compassion (2), largest elephant reserves, Shivalik Elephant Reserve in
protecting us from the extreme anthropocentricism that Uttarakhand, for infrastructure development demonstrates
has infected other parts of the world (14, 15). Modern the need for India to review why elephant reserves are
scientific experiments and observations have confirmed important, reaffirm our commitment to protecting elephant
the personhood of our inter-millennial companions: that habitat, and reimagine how we can reconcile elephant
elephants can use and make tools (16, 17), correctly compare conservation with other vital priorities such as economic
quantities (18, 19), imitate human sounds (20), and have a development and national security.
concept of self and theory of mind (16, 21, 22). In this case,
ancient insight and modern inquiry have essentially agreed:
elephants experience their lives richly, and a truly ethical This report takes three steps toward these
society must consider elephant well-being in how it governs goals by:
its natural resources.
1. Examining the role elephant reserves generally
In an increasingly crowded country, elephants need more play in elephant conservation;
than just the tolerance of India’s people to thrive: they
require our deliberate, thoughtful accommodation. Experts 2. Demonstrating how elephant reserves protect
have inferred that the wild elephant population across much the needs of elephants through the specific
of Asia a century ago was likely double what it is now (8, example of Shivalik Elephant Reserve;
23). At the heart of the challenge to conserve elephants is
3. Exploring how decision-makers could potentially
ensuring they have sufficient food and space: elephants eat
reconcile the requirements of elephant reserves
4-6% of their body weight a day—200 kg of forage for large
with other key interests.
males (24)—and can slurp up as much as 190 litres of water
daily (25, 26). Practically speaking, this means elephants The overall aim of this report is to provide a
have to move substantial distances to meet their needs, often foundation for discourse on how to ensure the
following seasonally available resources. For instance, both future of elephant reserves as India continues to
in northeast India and the Western Ghats, collared elephants pursue a secure and prosperous future.
have been seen to shift their ranges in accordance with the
monsoon (27, 28). Such seasonal movements have meant

© STEFFAN RJA AJAY / WWF-INDIA

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 HOW ELEPHANT RESERVES HELP
ELEPHANTS
India has 33 elephant reserves (ERs) scattered across 14 states (32) (see Figure 1).
Even passionate elephant enthusiasts may be forgiven for not having heard of them.
This is because ERs are quite different from the more familiar tiger reserve. Elephant
reserves—and elephant corridors—are essentially administrative (as opposed to legal)
classifications, formed by state government notifications that officially recognize areas
with significant elephant populations under the national program Project Elephant.
In effect, the classification is meant to primarily serve administrative purposes. This is
in contrast with tiger reserves, which are recognized under the Wildlife Protection Act
and are intended to provide stricter on-the-ground and legal protection. Furthermore,
while tiger reserves are generally delineated such that they are forest-and grassland-
dominated areas only sparsely populated by people, elephant reserves reflect the wide-
ranging habits of their main wards: since elephants only spend some 60% of their time
in the smaller spaces designated as protected areas (33), elephant reserves include
large areas that can encompass not only national parks and wildlife sanctuaries but also
reserve forests, conservation reserves, and community reserves where human access is
permissible. As of 2010, of the 65,000 sq. km. covered by India’s elephant reserves—
about 1.9% of India’s territory—only 29% fell under well-demarcated protected areas,
i.e. wildlife sanctuaries and national parks (32). One can easily cross into an elephant
reserve without realizing it.

So how, then, do elephant reserves actually serve elephant sort of public protection: by officially recognizing habitat of
conservation? There are two main ways. First, through particular importance to elephants, elephant reserves help
funds: notifying an area as an elephant reserve helps direct galvanize the public in support of elephant conservation
funds from the central government to that region for when development that might be detrimental for elephants is
elephant conservation (34). Second, while elephant reserves proposed in the reserve (36–39).
do not offer the official legal protections that come with
tiger reserves, they do offer a thin added layer of de facto Conservationists have expressed concerns about the
protections, effectively encouraging decision makers to unsystematic protections provided to elephants by
remember the costs of allowing land use change that could elephant reserves—in their visionary report Gajah (32), the
reduce elephant habitat or block their movement. Courts and government’s 2010 Elephant Task Force recommended that
the National Green Tribunal have given elephant reserves and elephant reserves be given Ecologically Sensitive Area status
corridors dull teeth by citing them in decisions that forestall under the Environmental Protection Act, 1986. Nonetheless,
land-use change or the blockage of elephant pathways (35). in the meanwhile, elephant reserves play a crucial role in
Government administrators generally submit proposals for safeguarding elephant habitat. This can be seen in the case of
development and land diversion in elephant reserves for Shivalik Elephant Reserve.
the approval of the National Board of Wildlife, even though
Figure 1: The locations of India’s 33 elephant reserves, spread across 14 states. this isn’t legally required (35). Elephant reserves also offer a

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SHIVALIK ELEPHANT RESERVE:
MAP SERIES 1: SHIVALIK ELEPHANT RESERVE MAPS
This series of maps shows how the forests and grasslands protected by Shivalik Elephant Reserve serve as crucial elephant

ELEPHANT HABITAT FROM THE

habitat that is under tremendous pressure. If Shivalik’s protections are removed, the result could be devastating for North
India’s last large elephant population.

YAMUNA TO THE SHARDA

Shivalik Elephant Reserve, Uttarakhand, designates a region estimation, authorities estimated that about 25% of Shivalik
of paramount importance for elephant conservation that ER’s elephants were using the forests and grasslands
deserves elevated funding, administrative support, and beyond protected areas (40). Notably, Shivalik ER is not one
public attention (see Map Series 1). As of the latest elephant uninterrupted block of elephant habitat: juxtaposed among
population estimation in 2017, Shivalik ER was home to Shivalik ER’s forests and grasslands are about 1,600 square
almost all of Uttarakhand’s 1839 wild elephants—about kilometres of urban areas, agriculture, and human habitation
6.7% of India’s total wild elephants and an astounding 88% (not counted in the 5,405 sq. km. of Shivalik ER). These
of India’s (comparatively limited) north-western elephant human-dominated areas are home to about 30,20,540 people
population (7). Shivalik Elephant Reserve is thus the most (as per the 2011 Census of India). The ad-hoc expansion of
essential habitat for the elephants of northern India. Shivalik these human-dominated areas and conversion of forests
Elephant Reserve protects 5,405 sq. km. of forests and to other land use could easily break Shivalik ER into small,
grasslands across six districts. Much of this habitat falls unconnected patches of habitat, making elephant movement
inside protected areas: Rajaji National Park, Corbett Tiger and access difficult or impossible. As currently designed,
Reserve, Nandaur Wildlife Sanctuary, and Sonanadi Wildlife Shivalik ER protects key patches and corridors necessary to
Sanctuary protect 2,213 sq. kilometres of habitat and form the allow elephants to move from their habitats near the Yamuna
core of Shivalik Elephant Reserve. Outside of these protected River in the west to those on the Sharda River in the east;
areas, Shivalik ER includes about 3,269 sq. km. of forests while several of these corridors require further protection,
and grasslands usable by elephants—in other words, about they generally allow for animal movement between the Terai’s
60% of elephant habitat in the region falls outside of PAs habitat blocks without major confrontation with humans.
but inside Shivalik ER. During a 2015 elephant population

By showing agriculture in black, this map starkly demonstrates that elephants are already highly constrained in terms of where
they can go south of Shivalik ER.

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 Here, we also mark areas with high and medium densities of human settlement using black and gray, demonstrating how Finally, elephant activity is further constrained by the steep slopes of the Himalayas. Evidence suggests elephants avoid slopes
elephant movement within Shivalik is already very much shaped by human activity. Over 30 lakh people already live in Shivalik over 40 degrees almost entirely; medium slopes (shown as gray-green) are also not always easy for these heavy animals to
Elephant Reserve. navigate.

Overall, the green spaces show habitat usable by elephants while all the black, gray, and gray-green indicate barriers and
partial barriers to elephant habitat use. This map demonstrates how Shivalik protects the thin space of habitat still fully
suitable for North India’s last remaining major Asian elephant population. Note that the 3,269 sq. km. of forest and grasslands
protected by Shivalik but outside of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries constitutes 6.6% of the area of Uttarakhand.

Efforts to estimate the number of elephants in Shivalik 110 square kilometres of elephant habitat to the rest of the
ER over the last decades have been heartening, with some erstwhile reserve, leaving almost no connectivity between
interpreting increasing estimates to mean that the population the 110-km habitat and neighbouring forests (see Map Series
of elephants in the region has grown to exceed the carrying 2). Furthermore, the tract of forest under threat from the
capacity—i.e., the number of elephants that the natural proposed airport expansion is one of only two corridors in the
habitat can support (41). However, carrying capacity is very 80 kilometre span between the Ganga and Yamuna Rivers
difficult to measure. Most experts and officials agree that that connect the Rajaji-Shivalik ecosystem with the forests of
the data from elephant population estimation exercises the lower Himalaya. These are thus vital passages for a variety
in Shivalik ER were not collected rigorously enough to of species apart from elephants, including leopards, bears,
allow for precise estimates (40, 42), and there is certainly tigers, and various wild ungulates, especially because wildlife
not enough (publicly available) information to rigorously sometimes need to move uphill to navigate changes in their
estimate the carrying capacity (43, 44). Still, the apparently habitat wrought by climate change.
healthy number of elephants in Shivalik ER underscores the
importance of ensuring that the region holds enough habitat Given the potential benefits to local people of, say, expanding
to sustain them. the local airport, it is reasonable for decision-makers to ask
whether the loss of connectivity to patches of forest like the
As such, any development projects proposed within Shivalik 110 sq. km. patch in Map Series 2 really matters—what would
ER must consider how they might affect elephant habitat. the consequences of lost connectivity be for the elephants that
Take, for instance, the recent proposal to expand the Jolly use that patch? Based on home range sizes from other parts
Grant Airport. The development proposed was modest in of India (2, 45), 110 sq. km. of forest would likely constitute
scale: project proponents noted that only 87 hectares of somewhere between a 11% (female-led herds) and 44%
Major roads and railways further complicate elephants’ movement across the elephant reserve. trees—less than one square kilometre—of the Thano forest (solitary, non-musth adult males) of the area they currently
would be felled. But development of that patch of forest use to forage—so for the (unknown number of) elephants that
would sever a de facto elephant corridor (between Thano rely on that patch for sustenance, severing connectivity to the
Reserve Forest and the Barkote Forest Range) that connects patch could be seen as a 10-45% paycut! As a result of this

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salary reduction, elephants will likely start looking elsewhere invests in some mitigation measures—the data to make
for resources—and since they are already essentially restricted such specific determinations aren’t available. However, the
to the area of Shivalik ER (see Map Series 1), these elephants science underpinning the concern—that if we transform more
are likely to be more and more tempted by anthropogenic and more elephant habitat into human-dominated spaces,
resources like agricultural crops (46). This, of course, means elephants will be pushed to look elsewhere for food, and this
more human-elephant conflict, which in addition to leading is likely to result in increased conflict—is widely accepted
to the tragic suffering and sometimes even death of people by conservationists (46, 51–53). Even some relatively small
and elephants, is likely to result in local people having less patches of forests and grasslands in Shivalik Elephant
tolerance for elephants (47, 48). As people get fed up trying Reserve, like the forest patch next to Jolly Grant Airport, are
to fend off hungry giants, they might resort more quickly to disproportionately important to elephant conservation. As
killing elephants using, for example, illegal lethal electric such, the forest land and other wildlife habitat remaining in
fences (49, 50), undermining the effective conservation Shivalik ER must not be seen as being dispensable, and they
efforts of the Uttarakhand Forest Department and Project should only be reduced as a last resort. The question, then,
Elephant. is how other important priorities, like those of economic
development and national security, can be effectively served
It is important to concede that no one can predict just how in elephant reserves without jeopardizing elephants or their
much the severance of any one corridor will affect levels habitat.
of human-elephant conflict, especially if the state also

MAP SERIES 2: SHIVALIK ELEPHANT RESERVE MAPS

While the denotification of Shivalik threatens all elephant habitat outside of Corbett, Sonanadi, Rajaji, and Nandaur, the proposed airport poses
an immediate threat to this section of Shivalik ER. This series of maps and photos shows how the Jolly Grant Airport expansion threatens to sever
110 sq. km. of elephant habitat—an area 13% the size of Rajaji National Park—from the rest of the forests usable by elephants.

The Jolly Grant Airport is essentially situated between Thano RF and Barkote range, next to the last or
one of the last forests allowing elephants to get from the Himalayan foothills to the rest of the Shivalik
system.

The proposed expansion of the airport will essentially sever connectivity for elephants and other wildlife
between Thano RF and the Barkote Range.

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 The effective severance of connectivity is even more visible upon closer inspection.

This map shows how these three forest areas (Lachhiwala, Hrishikesh, and Thano—totaling 110 sq. km.),
outlined in red, are essentially severed from the rest of the forests (outlined in pink) by the expansion
of Jolly Grant Airport. This severance will essentially remove 110 sq. km., an area 13% the size of Rajaji
National Park, from use by elephants and other wildlife.

What is less intuitive, perhaps, is that the proposed airport expansion threatens to all-but-fully
disconnect the Lachhiwala Range-Hrishikesh-Thano RF patch of forest from the suitable habitat of the
rest of the landscape.

Apparent connectivity between Lachhiwala Range and Rajaji National Park is not very good for
elephants/wildlife. Note, first, that much of the area is heavily populated by human settlements. There
are three locations, noted by arrows, that satellite images suggest could potentially be used by elephants
to move into Rajaji.
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 The difficulty of crossing from Lacchiwala into Rajaji (or vice versa) is even more visible from this close-up map.

In the third location, the same barriers exist, but they are configured such that some elephant movement is still possible. However, human
In the first two locations, urbanization, a road, patchy fencing, and gabion walls to prevent erosion on the Suswa River already make elephant habitation is beginning to spread in the area. Further barriers should be disallowed from being built here, and gabion structures should be
movement difficult. These structures should be revisited to enable elephant movement at these points. reconfigured to enhance connectivity. Even if all this is done, these three points between Ramgarh and Lacchiwala are not as good connectivity as
the forest currently connecting Thano and Barkote ranges near Jolly Grant Airport.

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RECONCILING ELEPHANT RESERVES
WITH OTHER INTERESTS
The recent discussion about denotifying Shivalik Elephant services in Uttarakhand supported by the state’s Directorate
Reserve highlights the difficult reality facing state and of Economics and Statistics showed that ecosystem services
local governments that have demonstrated an interest in provided by protected areas alone is at least 3.2 lakh crore
conservation. The state of Uttarakhand has repeatedly INR, and that the sociocultural fulfillment provided by the
indicated, through action, a dedication to elephant state’s forests can conservatively be valued at 309 crores (54).
conservation: in addition to ensuring the safety of North
India’s largest elephant population, the Uttarakhand Yet just as surely as our national and state governments
Forest Department and state government have ensured must safeguard our natural heritage, governments are also
the construction of three flyovers (at Chilla-Motichur, mandated to promote the economic advancement and general
Teen Pani, and Kansrau-Barkote) in Shivalik ER to allow security of their people. These are all critical objectives—and
elephants and other species to cross underneath, fostering balancing them is the unenviable task of India’s political
connectivity between habitat patches. The flyover in the leaders. Elephant reserves pose a unique opportunity, and
Chilla-Motichur corridor, for instance, has recently been an unparalleled urgency, to find ways to strike the required
completed, potentially re-establishing connectivity for tigers, balance. Their large size precludes even the illusion of
elephants, and other species between eastern and western inviolate areas for elephants, forcing conservationists to think
Rajaji NP. The Uttarakhand government has celebrated that more carefully about how to incorporate human aspirations
70% of the state’s land is under forest cover, and instead in our strategic visions and practice. However, the Indian
of succumbing to conventional economic calculations that people’s affection for elephants forces those trained in
undervalue ecological systems, has worked to foster a more traditional economics to acknowledge that anthropocentric
enlightened process of valuation. An analysis of ecosystem cost-benefit models are incomplete.

Figure 2: Thirteen elephant reserves are found partly or wholly within 100 km of India’s borders with other countries. Areas close to these borders
often come under the purview of national security, which can override other concerns including wildlife conservation. Before decisions to denotify
such areas are taken, it is important that there is broad-based discussion and that all alternatives are found and carefully considered. Such an
approach can allow our society to optimally balance concerns of national security, ecological security, and the protection of our natural heritage.

Officials, conservationists, proponents of development, and National security interests pose unique challenges in that
local communities should use elephant reserves to establish some aspects of national security cannot be shared broadly
new processes that reconcile these multiple objectives. in a public forum. Still, efforts have to be made to include
Two key tools might provide a good foundation. First, national security in participatory planning where possible.
participatory planning processes can allow stakeholders with Figure 2 shows that thirteen elephant reserves are found
varying priorities to articulate their interests in an organized partly or wholly within 100km of India’s land borders,
way, helping create and identify spaces in which interests highlighting the need to find ways that simultaneously protect
coincide (55). Second, multi-stakeholder cost-benefit our national territory while also protecting our natural
analyses can help decision makers systematically identify heritage.
advantages and drawbacks of various proposals and scenarios
as seen by all the different parties of interest—for instance, Participatory planning processes will not always result in a
economists might look at revenue and property value, plan that pleases everyone, but they will inevitably result in
ecologists might consider habitat connectivity and carbon two crucial benefits. First and foremost, genuine participatory
accounting, and local communities and public officials might processes will give the final decision far more democratic
consider the distribution of costs and benefits to various legitimacy than it would otherwise have had (55), especially
interest groups. While frameworks like green accounting if the interests of all stakeholder groups are duly considered
can help make comparisons across areas (e.g., (54)), not and addressed to the extent possible. Such legitimacy is likely
everything can be converted to rupees (or any other one unit to obviate large protests or recourse to lawsuits. Second,
of measurement)—ultimately, an interest-based negotiations such processes are likely to lead to more nuanced and well-
approach (as opposed to position-based negotiations) can rounded plans than those arrived at unilaterally (no matter
ensure that even stakeholders with interests overlooked by how well-intended).
traditional economics can help shape the outcome (56).

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 CONCLUSION: PRIORITIZING
Elephant reserves might also provide particularly teak plantations and invasive species with native vegetation
fertile ground for creative solutions that satisfy several and create elephant viewing platforms (a safe distance away)
stakeholders through the unrealized scope for elephant- for homestay visitors. For visitors willing to pay more, the

ELEPHANTS
centred ecotourism. India has not fully capitalized on the Forest Department could create special packages at a higher
opportunities that stem from having the largest number of cost in which these tourists get unique opportunities to
Asian elephants in the world: perhaps because elephants engage with elephants. For instance, they could be allowed
are so much easier to see than tigers, decision-makers seem view elephants overnight from platforms using night-vision
not to realize just how special these creatures are to foreign goggles. The revenue from such high-end tourism could be
tourists or even nature-starved urban Indians. The tourism ploughed back into local communities and used for protection
industry should be banking on their charisma and relative and conservation.
reliability, building a parallel paradigm that centres on Asian It is difficult for Indians to comprehend the perilous situation Consider an example from a then-developing country with
elephants instead of treating them as a consolation prize for Developing this or a similar model of elephant tourism will faced by the Asian elephant. Unlike tigers which are difficult modest global influence. In the mid-1800s, the city of New
those who do not see a tiger or leopard. require investment, but it should easily be worth it. A study to see even when they are relatively abundant, elephants York in the United States decided to set aside the 843 acres
conducted in countries across Africa found that, despite are relatively easy to find even when they are uncommon. (ca. 3.4 sq.km) necessary to build Central Park. The total
The potential of such an elephant tourism model is the high costs of protecting elephants from poaching in The ease with which elephants can be seen gives all of us— cost was $7.39 million at the time, the equivalent of over
significant. Elephant tourism in India could emulate the countries across the continent, every dollar invested in including many dedicated conservationists—a false sense $200 million in today’s money—more than the United States
community-based ecotourism found in Nepal. Here, public- protecting elephants yielded return on investments averaging of security, causing us to take them for granted. But these ultimately paid to purchase Alaska from Russia (65). One
private partnerships have been used to develop the facilities 25% and going as high as 200% (58). Through greater intelligent, compelling, charismatic creatures are under would calculate the costs to be higher if one considers the
and skillsets of local communities so they can host tourists strategic investment and creative partnership with ethical historically unprecedented pressures that could lead to their private businesses that might have developed that space and
in homestays, generating some $2000 more of revenue a tour operators and conservationists, there is no reason that extirpation across much of the country: spreading unplanned turned a profit. But for the 38 million visitors to Central Park
year for participating households (57). In India, communities Asian elephants should not come to define Indian tourism as human development and resource exploitation (53, 59), every year, the value of walking in peace, touching grass,
in areas frequented by elephants bordering the forest could markedly as the Taj Mahal. poaching and illegal trade (60, 61), habitat degradation due breathing clean air, and observing migratory birds in an
work with the government and conservationists to replace to invasive species (62, 63) and climate change (64), and otherwise relentlessly concrete jungle easily surpasses the
human-elephant conflict aggravated by the loss of natural costs of establishment: one conservative estimate suggests
resources for elephants (46, 49) collectively pose elephants that Central Park is now worth over $528 billion and
a grave threat. Given India’s deep-seated appreciation and generates about $25 billion worth of ecosystem services every
reverence for the elephant, all of us should be building year (66). For visitors to New York City, Central Park stands
institutions to better safeguard elephant reserves and as a monument both to America’s foresight and vision as well
elephants. as its value of nature.

Currently, the Indian government’s investment in elephants India’s decision to make big investments to protect our
is chronically insufficient: Project Elephant historically megafauna is already a remarkable feat. With the support
has received less than 35 crores a year, less than 10% of of Indian officials, private enterprise, and communities,
that provided for Project Tiger and the National Tiger Asian elephants can become India’s living monument to our
Conservation Authority (63). As a frame of reference, that own values and vision. Few experiences bring as much joy
means that the body primarily responsible for conserving and inspiration as a peaceful encounter with curious wild
60% of the world’s wild Asian elephants receives only twice as elephants: to observe elephants is not just an experience
much as the Indian Premier League’s most expensive player in nature but a form of sociocultural exposure to other
(64). Investments in a society’s ecological and cultural values intelligent life. Sometimes, elephants will have to give a little
can be costly up-front, and it can be hard for governments space for us as we try to restructure Indian society so that
to muster the resources in the short term to make such it serves all 1.3 billion-plus of our people—but we should do
investments. But more often than not, societies come to everything we can to minimize such losses, and even give back
realize that a full life is not just about its per capita GDP or space when we can. Through protecting spaces like Shivalik
the conveniences of modern technology (though these are ER, Indian society can invest in a model of development that
important), but about connecting to nature and our deeper is good not just for the pocketbook but for the heart and soul
values. as well.

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