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A recent study led by researchers from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) reveals that the Asian elephant has lost over 3 million square kilometers of its historical habitat in the past 300 years, largely due to colonial-era land-use practices like agriculture and timber extraction. This significant habitat reduction—nearly two-thirds of suitable areas—has increased human-elephant conflicts as these animals adapt to more human-dominated environments. The research, published in Scientific Reports, utilized a unique dataset modeling land-use changes from 850 to 2015, and highlighted that the average patch size of elephant habitats has shrunk by over 80%.
The findings indicate that current protected areas may be insufficient to support remaining elephant populations, as less than 50% of areas surrounding these populations are now deemed suitable. The study underscores a pressing need for sustainable land-use and conservation strategies not only for wildlife but also for human communities that coexist with these elephants. The collaborative research emphasizes the importance of assessing historical land management practices to inform future conservation efforts and address the social and environmental justice aspects of habitat restoration.