World Elephant Day 2025 to be celebrated in Coimbatore on August 12

In News – World Elephant Day 2025 Celebration in Coimbatore

• Occasion & Date – National celebration of World Elephant Day 2025 to be held on 12 August in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
• Organisers – Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) in collaboration with Tamil Nadu Forest Department.
• Inauguration – By Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav.
• Participants – Foresters, policymakers, wildlife experts, and civil society representatives.
• India’s Elephant Population – Nearly 60% of the world’s wild elephants live in India; the country has 33 Elephant Reserves and 150 identified Elephant Corridors (2023 Report on Elephant Corridors in India).
• Status – Elephant is recognised as National Heritage Animal of India.
• Workshops – Special session on Human-Elephant Conflict, involving elephant range states to share experiences, challenges, and mitigation strategies.
• Key Discussion Areas – Habitat management, corridor maintenance, awareness campaigns, and capacity building in high-conflict areas.
• Project Elephant Link – Initiative under Project Elephant, focusing on community participation and scientific conservation methods.
• Awareness Campaign – Nationwide programme involving 12 lakh school children from 5,000 schools to promote elephant conservation.
  
  
  

• Static Part – Project Elephant

  • Launched – 1992 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).
  • Aim–
    • To protect elephants, their habitat and corridors.
    • To address and mitigate human-elephant conflict.
    • To ensure welfare of captive elephants.
  • Approach – Combines ecological restoration, community participation, and scientific management.
  • Key Components–
    • Ecological restoration of degraded habitats & migratory routes.
    • Notification of critical elephant habitats as Elephant Reserves for focused conservation.
    • Human-elephant conflict mitigation (barriers, early-warning systems, compensation schemes).
    • Veterinary care for captive elephants.
    • Research, monitoring, and awareness programmes.
  • Elephant Reserves & Corridors (PIB – Dec 2023)–
    • 33 Elephant Reserves established in 14 major elephant States.
    • 150 Elephant Corridors ground-validated across 15 elephant range States.
    • Elephant Reserves often overlap with Tiger Reserves, Wildlife Sanctuaries, and Reserved Forests, enjoying legal protection under:
      • Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (Schedule I – highest protection)
      • Indian Forest Act, 1927
      • Relevant State Forest Acts
    • Infrastructure projects in these areas are regulated under existing Acts, Rules, and Guidelines.
  • Symbolic Status – Declared National Heritage Animal in 2010.
  • Conservation Framework–
    • Activities approved by Steering Committee chaired by the Union Environment Minister.
    • Emphasis on habitat management, corridor connectivity, and reducing human-elephant conflict.
      
      Updated – August 11, 2025 | 2:31 PM | DD News