The Ministry of Forests and Environment will create and implement an effective project to reduce the increasing human-elephant conflict in the Eastern Terai region. For that purpose, the ministry has interacted with the relevant development partner organizations and collected suggestions on Wednesday.

With the support and coordination of partner organizations, a project will be created and implemented immediately with local participation with modern technology.

Forest Minister Ain Bahadur Shahi Thakuri said that due to the recent increase in damage to human, agricultural animals and crops and households due to elephants, he will proceed with a common opinion with the stakeholders for a solution . "We will make an immediate and long-term plan to reduce the human-elephant conflict and proceed with immediate implementation." Also, we are making the procedures to provide relief for the damage caused by elephants easier and simpler,' he said .

Since 2000, 345 people have died in Nepal due to elephant attacks, while 55 elephants have died due to human attacks and electrocution. In addition, the damage to agricultural animals, crops and households caused by elephants every year is huge. State Minister of Forests Rupa Wik mentioned that poor communities are more affected by the loss of elephants and mentioned that the issue of reducing human-elephant conflict should now become a matter of concern not only of the Ministry of Forests but also of other ministries and all levels of government. Budhisagar Paudel, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of

, mentioned that the human-elephant conflict has become terrible in recent times and emphasized that the local people should think about alternative farming as well as education and awareness for the solution. He informed that the relief guidelines will be simplified to reduce the feeling of revenge among the affected people.

According to the latest data, there are currently 230 wild elephants in Nepal and 180 government and privately raised elephants. Dr. Narendramanbabu Pradhan, the national representative of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Nepal, said that the human damage caused by elephants can be reduced by up to 70 percent if the behavior of the locals can be reversed through awareness. "Man's behavior can be changed but elephant's behavior cannot be changed," he said.

Dr. Ghanshyam Gurung, the national representative of World Wildlife Fund Nepal, mentioned that elephants coming from the Indian border also cause damage and suggested that we should work in coordination with India in this regard. "To make the issue of human-elephant conflict resolution sustainable and effective, not only the Ministry of Forestry should make a political agenda," he said.

Dr. Naresh Subedi, member secretary of National Nature Conservation Fund, mentioned that the recently introduced fencing wire technology has been effective to avoid elephant attacks and suggested that the staff working at the site should be made agile with resources and vehicles.

The national representative of 'The Geological Society of London Nepal', Dr. Bhagwan Dahal said that by identifying the elephant's route, the human damage in that area can be reduced. He also suggested that damage caused by elephants can be reduced by using technology and alternative farming.

Dr. Shalu Adhikari, climate change expert of United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization of Nepal, informed that they are assisting the farmers in providing insurance facilities and said that this can work for sustainable wildlife management. Haribhadra Acharya, senior ecologist of the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Department, gave a presentation on the human-elephant conflict and informed that due to the large number of male elephants in the eastern Terai region of Nepal, the damage is comparatively greater. He said that the number of female elephants in the Bardiya region is comparatively less.