BENGALURU: A research, which has evaluated elephant distribution during dry season in Bandipur and Nagarahole national parks and adjoining forests in the Western Ghats of Karnataka, has found that despite presence of over 650 waterholes across the study area spanning 1850 sq km, the pachyderm distribution pattern was most strongly influenced by natural rivers and streams. The study focused on correlating ecological factors including distance to rivers, stagnant water and vegetation to elephant distribution, the study drew inferences on elephant-habitat relationship. Researchers say that with increasing distance to rivers, the probability of habitat use by elephants decreased.
The a new study by scientists of Wildlife Conservation Society of India Program has not only reiterated the need for scientific management of Indian protected areas but also demonstrated overarching importance to preserve natural systems over ad hoc interventions, to safeguard country’s wildlife. Recording preference of elephants for natural water bodies, the study cautions that practices like creating waterholes without research on impacts may in fact be counterproductive for conservation.
“Given the scale and multitude of management interventions that take place in our wildlife reserves every year, scientific assessments of their usefulness have to be carried out prior to interventions so that only needed habitat management practices are implemented,” suggest the authors of this study.
Titled ‘Determinants of dry season habitat use by Asian elephants in the Western Ghats of India’, the study was published in the international journal of zoology.