Conservation of Asian elephant in Bhutan for a healthier landscape 

Through improved management of protected areas and community involvement, the project aims to prevent Asian elephant habitat loss, reduce human-elephant conflict and threats from poaching and retaliatory killings.  

Elephants are revered in many cultures across Asia. In Bhutan, elephants are worshiped as a form of Buddha and Lord Ganesha in the Buddhist and Hindu traditions. The charismatic mega-vertebrate is a flagship species essential for the forest ecosystem's functioning, including seed dispersal over long distances. As depicted in Buddhist paintings of thuenpa puenzhi (the four harmonious friends) the Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in real life represent and form the foundation of life support of a healthy ecosystem.  

Regardless of the reverence and conservation importance, the Asian elephant face threats of dwindling population. Once a species that roamed throughout Asia, the Asian elephant is now restricted in isolated populations in 13 countries.  

With less than 50,000 individuals in the wild, Asian elephant is listed as endangered under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species and listed on Appendix I of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). 

In Bhutan, elephants receive highest legal protection as one of the species listed under Schedule I of Forests and Nature Conservation Act, 1995. Bhutan also has in place enabling policies and legislations, conservation commitments, and strong institutional setup. This is complemented by the good expansive forest cover and network of protected areas that serves as refuge for elephants. The southern sub-tropical region bordering India are home to the elephants. A population survey conducted in 2015 estimated 678 (605-761) elephants in the transboundary area.