The incidents resulted in 1,468 human deaths and 337 injuries, making it one of the country's gravest wildlife-related crises.
A new study analysing 24 years of data has revealed how shrinking forests, fragmented elephant corridors, expanding settlements and monoculture tea plantations are driving one of India's deadliest human-elephant conflicts in Assam.
The study, published in the latest issue of PeerJ, was authored by Athira N G, Ramesh Kumar Pandey, Kalpana Roy, Ananya Dutta, Dheeraj Mittal, Parag Nigam, Anukul Nath and Bilal Habib from the Wildlife Institute of India, the ministry of environment, forest and climate change, and the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research.
Researchers examined 1,806 incidents of human-elephant conflict recorded across Assam between 2000 and 2023.
The incidents resulted in 1,468 human deaths and 337 injuries, making it one of the country's gravest wildlife-related crises.
The study used data collected from 21 forest divisions in Assam, including gender-specific details, and employed spatial analysis, kernel density mapping and generalised linear modelling to identify the major causes behind the conflict.
Unlike earlier studies focused on short-term or localised trends, the researchers mapped long-term human-elephant conflict patterns across the state and found that conflict hotspots were concentrated around fragmented forests, agricultural fields near protected areas, tea plantations, settlements and elephant reserves.
Goalpara in south-western Assam and Sonitpur and Udalguri in north-central Assam emerged as the worst-affected districts.
Sonitpur recorded the highest number of deaths at 266, followed by Goalpara with 175 and Udalguri with 168 during the study period.
The researchers found that 527 villages across Assam experienced some form of elephant conflict during the 24-year period.
Some villages witnessed repeated tragedies. Likhak Gaon recorded 73 incidents, followed by Jorhat with 41, Ambari with 40, and Uttar Dimakuchi and Jogigaon with 30 incidents each. Gormara Gaon reported 28 incidents.
According to the study, the most vulnerable villages were marked by habitat fragmentation, rapid urbanisation and limited water resources, all of which intensified interactions between humans and elephants.
Assam is home to an estimated 5,828 Asian elephants, one of the largest elephant populations in India.
However, the state's 12 identified elephant corridors have come under increasing pressure from urban expansion, railway projects, and the spread of tea plantations.
The study highlighted a strong seasonal trend in human-elephant conflict, with most incidents occurring during the monsoon months when agricultural activity peaks and elephants move through farmlands in search of food and water.
Men accounted for the majority of casualties across all seasons, which researchers attributed to outdoor occupations such as farming, crop guarding, and travelling at night.
The researchers found that water availability played a key role in reducing conflict intensity.
Villages with better access to water sources reported fewer incidents because elephants were less likely to enter human settlements in search of water.
In contrast, areas with limited water availability experienced more encounters.
The study also pointed to tea gardens as a major factor behind rising conflicts.
Researchers noted that villages with significant tea plantation coverage reported heightened elephant encounters.
Although tea gardens provide vegetation cover and serve as transition zones between forests and settlements, their proximity to built-up areas and reduced forest connectivity increase the likelihood of close contact between humans and elephants.
The study said these findings supported earlier research showing how monoculture plantations disrupt elephant movement patterns and escalate conflicts.
Despite the alarming findings, the researchers said coexistence between humans and elephants in Assam was possible through targeted conservation measures.
They recommended restoring forest connectivity, protecting elephant corridors, and improving water availability within elephant habitats.
The study also suggested that farmers cultivate 'buffer crops' such as chilli, ginger, garlic, and citrus fruits, which elephants tend to avoid.
Other proposed measures included elephant-friendly hanging electric fences with low voltage, rapid-response teams, infrared trip-wire alarm systems, and community-based elephant alert networks using mobile applications to warn residents about elephant movement in real time.
Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff