D’Ering – Dibru Saikhowa Elephant Link Project

The D’Ering- Dibru Saikhowa elephant corridor between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh is one of the vital corridors which provide the safe passage for approx. 150 elephants and other wildlife like Asiatic Water Buffalo, Assamese Macaque, Dhole, Feral Horse, Leopard etc. found in the landscape. This interstate corridor is stretched of length 16 km and width 2 km which connects the D’Ering WLS in Arunachal Pradesh with Dibru- Saikhowa NP in Assam. Elephants use this corridor passing through riverine grassland, community lands, settlement area, agricultural lands and flood plains of Siang, Dibang and Lohit Rivers to move between these two Protected Areas. However, due to the increasing anthropogenic pressure like cattle grazing, timber felling and human settlement have resulted in the fragmentation and degradation of habitat thus hindering elephant movements and threatening the D’Ering- Dibru Saikhowa corridor.

Wildlife trust of India with support from World Land Trust (WLT) launched the “D’Ering – Dibru Saikhowa Elephant Link” (DDS) project in 2021. WTI have approached “The Community Securement Model” for DDS Project to secure the critical part of the D’Ering- Dibru Saikhowa Corridor by notifying approx. 500 hectares of community land of Mer, Namsing and Paglam villages in Arunachal side of the corridor as “Community Reserve (CR)”. The DDS project involves collaboration work with forest departments of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, Kotgah Community Reserve Society (KCRS), Adi Bane Kebang (ABK) and village community of Mer, Namsing and Paglam villages of Arunachal Pradesh and Eco Development Committee (EDC) of Dibru – Saikhowa landscape. Another key objective of the project is to maintain the corridor habitat allowing the elephants to move freely in the landscape vis a vis provide human elephant conflict mitigation and management measures around the Dibru Saikhowa National Park and in the affected area of the corridor ensuring the social and ecological balance of the region.

Kotgahgorah Restoration Committee representatives with WTI team near Siang River, Paglam, Arunachal Pradesh | Photograph by Madhumay Mallik/WTI

Key initiatives carried out by WTI to secure D’Ering- Dibru Saikhowa elephant corridor:

1. Corridor Restoration: The project aims to restore at least 200 hectares of the degraded patches of the corridor through Active Restoration (AR), Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) and engaging local communities to minimize the anthropogenic activities in the corridor passage. The corridor restoration is a pivotal aspect of the project, aiming to maintain healthy corridor passage for other elephants and other wildlife in the landscape.
2. Human Elephant Conflict Mitigation: With the incessant change in land use pattern, the incidents of human-elephant conflict (HEC) has been increasing in the region. Due to the degraded nature of the D’Ering- Dibru Saikhowa corridor the pachyderms forage into fringe villages, posing a significant threat to both wildlife and the communities. To address this issue, the project has installed and is maintaining solar fencing as a measure for effective mitigation measure. The community-based solar fence management committee has also been formed in these villages to foster engagement and a sense of responsibility to ensure collaborative actions for coexistence. Further, Quick Response Team (QRTs) have been formed and trained to manage negative encounters with elephants and raise awareness about elephant behaviour, movement patterns, and the importance of coexistence.
3. Community Engagement in securing D’Ering- Dibru Saikhowa elephant corridor: Collaboration with local communities is crucial to garner support and raised awareness about wildlife conservation. Community engagement in conservation activities ensure success and sustainability of elephant corridors.
4. Seasonal Survey and corridor monitoring: Through seasonal survey and corridor monitoring, the project aims to enhance functionality of D’Ering- Dibru Saikhowa elephant corridor. The indicators of direct and indirect elephant movements are observed through trail walks, surveys and camera trapping activities.
5. Equipping and capacity building trainings for frontline forest staff: The project aims to empower frontline forest staff of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh Forest departments with necessary field gears and skill training, to facilitate effective monitoring and management of Protected Areas (PAs).

Partners: World Land Trust (WLT)

Project Lead: Upasana Ganguly