Asian elephants in China under better protection thanks to multiple efforts

Aerial photo taken on June 16, 2021 shows a herd of wild Asian elephants in Yimen county, Yuxi city, southwest China’s Yunnan province. (Photo courtesy of Yunnan Forest Fire Brigade)

Asian elephants, once driven to the brink of extinction in the 1990s in China, have seen their population grow and their habitat expand, thanks to the increasing conservation efforts of the country over the past three decades.

The population of wild Asian elephants, mostly found in southwest China’s Yunnan province, has risen from about 150 to nearly 300 in about 30 years. Besides, the distribution area of the species has expanded from two prefectures and three counties in the 1990s to three prefectures and 12 counties as of the end of 2020.

To better protect the wild elephants, the province has clamped down on poaching, and set up 11 nature reserves where the elephants can roam about freely, covering a total area of 509,800 hectares. It has also established a monitoring and emergency response system for the elephants, which involves 122 full-time monitors.

Efforts have also been made to ensure the harmonious co-existence between humans and the wild animal. Facilities to protect villagers from the elephants have been built. Furthermore, 10 villages have been relocated from the nature reserves to make way for the flagship species.