Asian vision shared to conserve elephants

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Apr. 28: Government representatives from 13 Asian countries have assembled at the 3rd Asian Elephant Range States Meeting to strengthen collaboration and cooperation amongst them in order to protect elephants on the continent.

The Asian Elephant Range States Meeting, hosted by the Government of Nepal, is taking place from April 27 to 29, 2022, in Kathmandu, Nepal. 

Minister for Forest and Environment Ramsahay Prasad Yadav inaugurated the meeting. 

For the next three days, delegates from Bhutan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam will share country-wise experiences and best practices, discuss initiatives, common issues and visions, explore interest points and propose actions, and set future priorities for the conservation of the largest terrestrial animal in Asia. 

Its worldwide population today is estimated to be only between 45,000 to 50,000, far less than its African counterparts. 

Nepal is one of the elephant range countries, with an estimated 200 elephants in Nepal and an additional 150 elephants seasonally migrating from India. The meeting aims to secure the persistence of the Asian elephant well into the future.

These Asian Elephant Range countries committed to developing an Action Plan for Asian elephant conservation, a strategy envisaged by “The Kathmandu Declaration for Asian Elephant Conservation” which will be agreed to and launched during a special event after the meeting. During the Asian Elephant Range States Meeting, delegates will discuss various topics related to Asian elephant conservation such as elephant population management, human-elephant conflict mitigation, minimising impacts of linear infrastructure on elephant habitat, elephant corridors management, preventing illegal wildlife 

trade, captive elephants' health care and welfare, emerging diseases and strengthening transboundary cooperation. 

The meeting aims to strengthen government networking among the Asian elephant range countries, identify common problems and share lessons learned, knowledge and experiences to conserve Asian elephants across their range, and raise awareness about Asian elephants with other government agencies, and national and international media and donors.

The meeting is facilitated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC) Asian Elephant 

Specialist Group (AsESG) and supported by the Asian Elephant Conservation Fund of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

Additional support will be provided by the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), Nepal, WWF Nepal and ZSL Nepal.

This is the third episode of the Asian Elephant Range States Meeting with previous ones being held in Jakarta in 2017 and Malaysia in 2006. 

The meeting is being attended by Range State delegates and observers both in-person and virtually.