Elephants, the environment, and Indian policy
Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2014 5:12 am
I have been saving up a few articles on elephants that someone might find interesting, and today came across another that was heartening to read. Here they are, with a brief explanation:
How India is building Asia's largest secure forest network
In Karnataka, they are working to link various wild areas so that animals (including elephants) will be able to migrate over a wider area. I realize that some may find this effort to be too little to late, or have other complaints about the policy, but I was glad to see that something was being done, at least, to try to curb the encroachment of humans on wildlife habitat.
then:
Ecologists learn lessons from the 'ghosts of megafauna'
This article conveys part of the impact that the elimination of pachyderms -- large herbivores -- like elephants, rhinoceros, and hippopotamus can have, and why. Many times, people do not recognize how vital it is for nutrients to be spread over an area. For instance, the ecosystem of the South Atlantic and even South America is dependent, in part, on nutrients that were formed millennia ago in the region we call the Sahara Desert today. Winds blow these nutrients across the sea, as far as another continent, and they help form the basic part of the food chain for those ecosystems.
The message: the loss of wildlife like elephants can have a terrible impact on ecosystems.
then:
Elephant society 'still disrupted decades after cull'
The sophistication of elephant society is just now beginning to be appreciated. The complex interactions can be destroyed by removing elder herd members, especially alpha females, who provide herd leadership. This sophistication is also shown in this article:
How elephants react to human voices
and
Human gestures 'understood by elephants'
We need to be a whole lot smarter about this conservation thing. In the long run, the money and effort spent will make this a better world for everyone of all social strata, I think.
How India is building Asia's largest secure forest network
In Karnataka, they are working to link various wild areas so that animals (including elephants) will be able to migrate over a wider area. I realize that some may find this effort to be too little to late, or have other complaints about the policy, but I was glad to see that something was being done, at least, to try to curb the encroachment of humans on wildlife habitat.
then:
Ecologists learn lessons from the 'ghosts of megafauna'
This article conveys part of the impact that the elimination of pachyderms -- large herbivores -- like elephants, rhinoceros, and hippopotamus can have, and why. Many times, people do not recognize how vital it is for nutrients to be spread over an area. For instance, the ecosystem of the South Atlantic and even South America is dependent, in part, on nutrients that were formed millennia ago in the region we call the Sahara Desert today. Winds blow these nutrients across the sea, as far as another continent, and they help form the basic part of the food chain for those ecosystems.
The message: the loss of wildlife like elephants can have a terrible impact on ecosystems.
then:
Elephant society 'still disrupted decades after cull'
The sophistication of elephant society is just now beginning to be appreciated. The complex interactions can be destroyed by removing elder herd members, especially alpha females, who provide herd leadership. This sophistication is also shown in this article:
How elephants react to human voices
and
Human gestures 'understood by elephants'
We need to be a whole lot smarter about this conservation thing. In the long run, the money and effort spent will make this a better world for everyone of all social strata, I think.
