Abstract: Elephants (Elephas maximus) hold a revered status in India due to their mythological, religious, and social significance. In recent times, Human-elephant conflict (HEC) has emerged as a complex issue and is recognized as a significant global conservation challenge. Karnataka, with its extensive forest resources, hosts the largest population of wild Asian elephants in India. This study aims to investigate the frequency and intensity of HEC at the village scale from 2019 to 2023 using 1.31 lakhs of geotagged field data points from the Karnataka Forest Department. It emphasizes the critical need for an integrated approach to HEC management. The study will also provide insights from in-situ observations on available habitats and their utilization, types of damage, compensation values, and the potential of space-borne data for information extraction. Overall, this research seeks to understand the spatial and temporal magnitude of conflicts, and their impacts, and explore potential implications.
About the speaker: Dr. SK Vazeed Pasha received his Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences, specializing in Remote Sensing and GIS, from NRSC, ISRO, and Andhra University in 2017. With over 11 years of research experience in geospatial applications, he focuses on spatial biodiversity, biomass, and land change modeling. A life member of ISG and GFBI, he received the BRICS Young Scientist award in 2023 from Govt. of India and the best research paper award from the Karnataka State Forest Department. Dr. Pasha has published over 40 research articles, 780 citations, and mentored 30 interns. He is working with Prof. Vinay Kumar Dadhwal on quantifying and modeling India’s terrestrial carbon cycle.