Addressing The Socio-ecological drivers of human-elephant negative interaction, northern west bengal, india

Abstract

This study investigates socio-ecological drivers of human-elephant conflict in northern West Bengal's 908.81 km² fragmented landscape, including Gorumara National Park, tea estates, and settlements in the East Himalayan hotspot. Habitat degradation from historical fragmentation forces 488 elephants into human areas, yielding ~47 annual human deaths, 164 injuries, and 2,078 ha crop damage (2006–2016).Using a Theory of Change, the study met three aims: (1) Quantified forest dependence via 40 women's focus groups, 209-shop market/sawmill surveys, revealing fuelwood dominance (55.4 kg/person/month cooking; 39.6 kg/cow/month fodder), forest-sourced by women risking elephant attacks, with inadequate tea estate supplies (Plantation Labour Act violations) and microfinance-driven logging. (2) Proposed restoration integrating prior vegetation data into forest plans. (3) Advanced governance through pilot fuelwood lots (100 saplings/4 villages), stakeholder forums exposing welfare gaps, and alternatives (stoves, biogas).Poverty compels risky resource overlap with elephants. Recommendations urge supervised fuelwood, elephant-safe plantations, multi-stakeholder consensus, and policy updates for coexistence