GUWAHATI, July 19 - As part of its effort to mitigate the escalating man-elephant conflict in the State, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) has joined hands with Elephant Family � the NGO headed by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall � to develop a volunteer group of local youths � �Green Corridor Monitors� � for �corridor monitoring� in the Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong landscape during floods.
�This specific corridor monitoring programme is a key activity launched by WTI with Elephant Family with the objective of mitigating the human-elephant conflict in the State. The �corridor monitoring� process will help understand the status of displaced animals and provide adequate protection to animals in distress,� a WTI official said.
These Green Corridor Monitors will keep an eye on animal movement, especially elephants.
WTI and Elephant Family with support from the Assam Forest Department distributed kits to�a newly-trained group of 20 �Green Corridor Monitors� of the Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong landscape on Thursday.
Twenty youths from three different corridors who were recently trained in the corridor monitoring process received the kits that will ensure effective implementation of the project.
Each kit comprises weather appropriate gear comprising a rain-coat, T-shirts and a flashlight to help them through field work that follows a standardized methodology to document movement of elephants through these habitats.
Conservationists and wildlife experts believe that notwithstanding conflict with humans triggered mainly by habitat loss and fragmentation, India still has sustainable elephant populations and that securing a safe future for the pachyderms warrant protection and restoration of both habitat and corridors.
Conservationists are also of the view that for planning at landscape level relocating people away from elephant corridors in a socially-responsible way could also help secure some critical corridors.
