World Elephant Day , August 12th
- Nittur IAS Academy
- Aug 12
- 1 min read
Key Schemes & Conservation Initiatives in India
Project Elephant (1992): A Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) providing financial and technical support to major elephant-bearing states for habitat protection, corridor management, and mitigating human-elephant conflict.
Project Tiger & Elephant (Merged Scheme): The Ministry merged Project Tiger and Project Elephant under a single administrative and funding umbrella to streamline wildlife conservation and funding allocation.
Project RE-HAB (Reducing Elephant-Human Attacks using Bees): An initiative by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) that uses "bee fences" along forest edges to deter elephants from entering agricultural fields without harming them.
Gaj Yatra & Campaign: A nationwide campaign aimed at securing 101 crucial elephant corridors across India and raising public awareness about elephant movements.
MIKE Program (Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants): An international mandate under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) implemented across designated elephant sites in India to monitor illegal killing.
Haathi Mere Saathi: A joint campaign launched by MoEFCC and Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) to foster community involvement and peaceful coexistence.
Parameter | Details |
Scientific Name | Elephas maximus indicus (Asian Elephant) |
National Status | National Heritage Animal of India (Declared in 2010) |
IUCN Status | Asian Elephant: Endangered |
WPA 1972 | Schedule I (Highest level of legal protection in India) |
CITES | Appendix I |
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