Change of direction rather than conflict

Sometimes a news piece just makes sense and is motivating. It’s not really the news itself that is inspiring (though in this case it really is), but what the news triggers. A new way of looking at same old problems and solutions – my problems!

Mongabay published a great article this week on Elephant / human cohabitation in Nepal.

For years, this has been a terrifying reality in Bahundangi, a village along Nepal’s eastern border with India along the Mechi River. Wild Asian elephants (Elephas maximus), following their ancient migratory routes, frequently storm farms, devour crops and even ransack granaries.

Desperate, villagers, including Rasaili, were accustomed to banging their tin drums and waving flaming torches in a futile attempt to drive them away. On the evening of Dec. 8, 2021, Rasaili even contemplated resorting to the old methods. But his family members remembered what local campaigners had told them about elephants and did something different.

Mongabay (article)

The extent of the problem is material.

“These elephants are naturally itinerant, walking several kilometers each day. As long as their dietary needs were met within forests, they rarely ventured into human settlements,” Pradhan says. “However, due to shrinking forests and dwindling food sources, they are now forced to enter farms and homes in search of food.”

Whenever they came, the economic losses were staggering. The elephants devoured crops like paddy and maize — staples that local farmers depended on for survival. In 2010 alone, nearly 100 homes and granaries were destroyed, and at least three villagers lost their lives during an elephant crossing.

Mongabay (article)

They even. tried fences, but they didn’t work – elephants are too smart. I am not a fan of fences but we’re learning.

The villagers and their support system came up with 3 great ideas: a) repay villagers for lost crops, b) change crops grown to elephant undesirable, and c) as above – leave the elephants to be elephants passing thru

While those are actions and behavior changes, the article quickly points out – attitudes must change as well.

“Bahundangi has demonstrated that coexistence with wild elephants is possible. It shows that simply raising awareness is not enough; we need to actively change people’s attitudes toward wildlife,” Narendra Man Babu Pradhan, an elephant researcher and a former warden at Chitwan National Park, tells Mongabay.

Mongabay (article)

Changing the crops seems to be a game changer.

That’s when elephant-resistant farming emerged as a game changer. Farmers began shifting from maize and paddy to crops that elephants don’t eat — such as tea, bay leaves and lemons.

Today, the village sells tea worth 22 million Nepali rupees ($158,700) annually, according to Karki. Farmers have also embraced bay leaves and lemons, further diversifying their income.

Mongabay (article)

The villagers were inspired with their new crops and started another.

In recent years, farmers of Bahundangi have also started beekeeping because bees naturally deter elephants. “We are encouraging farmers to cultivate mustard, which attracts bees and supports beekeeping initiatives,” says Karki. This approach not only helps protect crops but also provides an additional source of income for farmers.

Mongabay (article)

Success? More income and crops for the villagers, happier elephants, and surprisingly, a huge reduction in violent encounters.

The real transformation began a decade ago, when these solutions started to yield results. The last fatal elephant attack in Bahundangi was in 2015, when Manahari Dhungel, 65, was killed while collecting fodder in the forest.

Mongabay (article)

While the news and story are wonderful and positive, I can’t help but turn that internally. What problems / issues do I have that a simple change of direction / tact would result in equally amazing outcomes.

Featured image from MSFT CoPilot; inline photos from Mongabay.