India has listed the Asian elephant in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act (1972) as well as designated the species as the National Heritage Icon. The country supports an estimated 60% of the global Asian elephant population.

Across 23 states Connected regionally by at least 101 corridors as of 2017. Expansion of human settlements and agricultural fields across the country has resulted in widespread loss of elephant habitat, degraded forage, reduced landscape connectivity, and a significant decline in elephant populations relative to their historical size and overall range. As their habitats shrink, elephants are progressively forced into closer contact with people, resulting in more frequent and severe conflict over space and resources with consequences ranging from crop raiding to reciprocal loss of life. To address these issues entails targeted, multidisciplinary research that flows into conservation and management actions and advocacy for policy decisions.

The Government of India launched the “Project Elephant” in 1991-92 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change. It was intended to provide financial and technical support to the elephant range states of India for the protection of elephants, their habitats and corridors and address issue of human- animal conflict. It also sought to promote welfare of captive elephants.

The MoEF&CC has established the “Elephant Cell” at Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun as a technical wing of the Project Elephant Division to provide technical inputs to the Ministry for strengthening the efforts towards conservation of elephants, both in the wild and in captivity. The Elephant Cell also provides field-oriented trainings to the Protected Area managers and frontline staff of Elephant Reserves in India and also enhances their capacities for managing the elephant habitats, populations and other related issues.

Vision and Objective