Elephant Survey Project

The Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) has long held significant ecological, cultural, and religious importance across Asia. As a keystone species, it plays a vital role in maintaining ecosystem health and ecological balance. However, elephant populations across much of their range are increasingly fragmented and isolated due to multiple and interconnected threats, including habitat loss and degradation, human encroachment, and escalating Human–Elephant Conflict (HEC). As one of the 13 Asian elephant range countries, Bangladesh has an important responsibility to contribute to regional and global efforts to conserve this iconic species. The country’s Asian elephant population is estimated at approximately 210–330 individuals and is classified as Critically Endangered nationally.

The survival of wild elephants in Bangladesh is increasingly threatened by habitat degradation, food scarcity, direct killing, and the fragmentation of traditional movement routes and ecological corridors. Encroachment, agricultural expansion, and the establishment of human settlements in and around elephant habitats further restrict elephant movement and access to essential resources. These pressures have intensified human–elephant conflict, resulting in human casualties, crop damage, destruction of property and other livelihood losses. In some cases, these conflicts have also led to retaliatory killings of elephants by affected communities, further jeopardizing the long-term survival of the species.

Effective elephant conservation requires a comprehensive, coordinated, and sustained approach involving government institutions, conservation organizations, local communities, researchers, and other relevant stakeholders. Key priorities include strengthening scientific research and knowledge management; improving policies, institutional capacity, and law enforcement; protecting and restoring elephant habitats and movement corridors; reducing human–elephant conflict; promoting awareness through communication and education; and fostering collaboration among stakeholders. Over the past two decades, the Government of Bangladesh has undertaken several initiatives to conserve wild elephants. However, the need for a more coordinated, systematic, and long-term approach remains critical.

An important milestone in this regard was the development of the Bangladesh Elephant Conservation Action Plan 2018–2027 (BECAP), the first national action plan of its kind. Government-owned, the BECAP provides a strategic framework, vision, goals, and objectives to guide integrated and focused elephant conservation interventions in Bangladesh. It establishes a foundation for coordinated conservation planning and management, emphasizing the need for sustained action to secure the future of the country’s wild elephant population.

The Bangladesh Forest Department (BFD), under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), has received financial support from the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) to implement the Elephant Conservation Project over a three-year period, from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2028. The project aims to strengthen elephant conservation in Bangladesh through the protection of elephant habitats, reduction of human–elephant conflict (HEC), enhancement of scientific knowledge and information systems, strengthening of institutional capacity, and promotion of community-based conservation approaches.

As part of this initiative, the Bangladesh Forest Department has engaged Arannayk Foundation to provide technical assistance for the implementation of the Elephant Conservation Project. Through this engagement, Arannayk Foundation will contribute technical expertise and support to strengthen the scientific evidence base for elephant conservation, improve understanding of elephant populations and movement patterns, assess HEC and associated challenges, and inform the development of effective conservation strategies and management interventions. These efforts are intended to support evidence-based decision-making, strengthen institutional and stakeholder collaboration, and contribute to the long-term conservation of Asian elephants and the promotion of sustainable human–elephant coexistence in Bangladesh.

Objectives

a)      Conduct a nationwide elephant population census covering wild, migratory, and captive elephants in Bangladesh. 

b)      Identify, survey, and map elephant movement routes, ecological corridors, and transboundary crossing points to support habitat connectivity and landscape-level conservation planning. 

c)      Identify and map human–elephant conflict (HEC) hotspots nationwide, documenting affected communities, households, and families to assess the extent and distribution of conflict-related impacts. 

d)      Develop the Bangladesh Elephant Conservation Action Plan 2028–2037 to guide strategic, evidence-based, and coordinated elephant conservation efforts across the country. 

e)      Develop area-specific, evidence-based HEC mitigation and management plans for key conflict hotspot regions, tailored to local ecological, socioeconomic, and institutional contexts. 

f)        Develop a comprehensive national digital HEC information system to integrate, manage, and analyse spatial data, conflict incidents, affected households and communities, elephant observations, and movement routes and corridors. 

g)       Formulate and implement area-specific HEC mitigation plans across Bangladesh, prioritizing identified conflict-prone areas and affected communities. 

h)      Develop a multi-agency elephant rescue and HEC emergency response framework to strengthen coordination among relevant government agencies, law enforcement authorities, and other stakeholders. 

i)        Develop comprehensive training manuals covering elephant population estimation, elephant collaring, HEC management, and elephant rescue and emergency response operations. 

j)        Conduct capacity-building and technical training for Bangladesh Forest Department (BFD) officials on elephant population estimation, collaring techniques, HEC management, and rescue operations. 

k)       Strengthen the technical and operational capacity of Elephant Response Team (ERT) members to improve their effectiveness in HEC prevention, mitigation, incident management, and emergency response. 

l)        Develop computer- and mobile-based applications to facilitate elephant observation and reporting, support research and data collection, strengthen conservation information management, and promote public awareness and participation in elephant conservation.

This project contributes to SDG :