Khine Khine Swe

Progress Report on HEC near Shwe-U-Daung WS

During the first three months of the project, I have held meetings with officials of Forest Department, Shwe-U-Daung Wildlife Sanctuary, township authorities, etc., and local officials to introduce the project. Out of the eight villages with highest human-elephant conflict, we selected the five villages that have the most conflict with elephants. All the villages are active, motivated and willing to participate to test the methods. In each of the villages, we have created core group and made draft action plans. In the plans, they mentioned many methods. Those methods can be categorized as follows:

1) Smell – burning rubber, cattle dung & chili
2) Sound – using the loud speakers, bamboo detonate/explode
3) Temperature – fire lines using the litters
4) Visual cleaning nears the settlement/agricultural land – Thinning the edge of forest especially undestroyed species such as shrubs, herbs, tall grass, etc.
5) Crop selection – to plant the crop species that elephants do not eat
6) Signboards – posting the signboards at the crossing paths of wild elephants
7) Bee keeping – setting bee keeping boxes

The villages can conduct the majority of these activities with local resources and knowledge. However, beekeeping, for example, is not practiced in this area, so we have invited a staff person from the Livestock Department.

In those months, I monitored regularly the activities of villagers. There were 27 attempts by elephants to enter crop-fields at 5 study sites. Although people used the community methods such as sound, smell, fire-lines, the damages of 9 crop fields and 7 households were came out. Of many methods, using the loudspeakers was effective to drive the elephants away. One significance was found at one site that elephants did not enter the crop-land and human settlement where visual cleaning was done around its area, although elephants visited there closely at early night time during April 18th -29th.

In January, Ministry of Forestry had given the permission to a private catcher to capture 15 wild elephants using Kheddah Block method. Although 10 elephants were captured, 3 were dead during training period.

According to action plan, one-day training-workshop was conducted, and it was attended by 15 villagers (3 each from 5 sites) and 5 officials. Mapping, measuring, recording and keeping of every conflict incident were taught. All participants had contributed their conflict experiences, learnt from each other, and finally they were able to revise and modify their action plans for the cultivating season.

During 3rd quarter months, no attempt was made by elephants to enter croplands. All information were indicated that elephants were occurred inside the forest where food were abundance.

I had monitored regularly the activities of villagers, such as crop selection, planting, preparation to protect crops from raiding by elephants. According to the decisions of training-workshop, most of the villagers tried to plant crops such as sesame, peanuts, etc.; which are not favor by elephant. But I found that some people would like to plant sugarcane again in one village because the number of elephants was reduced since capture operation by Ministry of Forestry in February.

However, the leaders of communities tried to follow the action plan mentioning what they have to do. Therefore the preparation activities to protect crops from raiding by elephants were completely conducted during this period.

Read about the activities undertaken and findings of this project in the final report below.

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