Odisha would lose about 390 sq km of space utilized by migrating elephants as foraging floor and hall in one district on account of huge coal mining alone in Angul district, says a study of Wildlife Institute of India.
Beside, human-elephant battle, which is already in a essential State, is more likely to develop into acute following disturbance in elephant habitats.
A study ‘Status and Management of Elephants in Coal Mine Landscape of Odisha’ carried out by Karthy S and Gopi G. V, students of WII, says, “using geospatial analysis, habitat suitability modelling, and conflict data from forest department it is predicted that the Angul division would lose about 390 sq km of forest if the proposed coal blocks come into operation.”
“This loss of forest habitat, combined with the growing number of human deaths due to elephants in the Angul forest division would result in increase in conflict situation and devastating for the elephant population in Odisha,” they predicted.
The study appeared WII’s quarterly journal ‘Trumpet’ says Odisha holds the very best variety of Asian elephants (1,976 people) in the east-central area of India. This is 63% of the whole east-central inhabitants (3,128) and 6.5% of the whole elephant inhabitants in India as per 2017 estimation.
The State has elephant presence in 43 out of fifty forest divisions with a development charge of 1.2% between 2015 and 2017. Some of the districts have recorded disproportionately excessive battle.
The study was carried out on the background that Angul forest division is necessary to elephants whereas it is usually acknowledged for its coal wealth which accounts for 20% of India’s coal reserve.
“As per Site Specific Elephant Management Plan for Angul Forest Division, 2022, this has led to rapid developmental activities like thermal power plant, steel plant, road and railway networks, transmission lines and pipelines in Angul division. Most part of the division is expected to be leased to coalmine industries in the near future, which may turn out catastrophic for the elephants as well as the existing conflict scenario in the entire state of Odisha,” the study finds.
The WII students had adopted the MaxEnt strategy, a geospatial knowledge evaluation, to find out the acceptable habitat for the elephants in the Angul division.
“The MaxEnt output shows that most of the habitat utilised by the elephants fall over the proposed coal block region. There are already operational coal mines in the Angul division which again hinder the movement of the elephant,” the study factors out.
The WII students advisable reconsidering declaring the whole coal belt of Angul district for mining use. They additionally got here up with a suggestion of creating habitat connectivity between Satkosia Tiger Reserve and Sambalpur, Deogarh divisions by forest restoration alongside the west border of Angul division. (EOM)
