The government will prioritize protecting elephant habitats and movement corridors, identifying conflict-prone areas and strengthening early warning systems to reduce human-elephant conflict in Bangladesh, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo has said.
Speaking as the chief guest at a discussion titled “Elephant Conservation: Existing Challenges and the Way Forward” at the Tourism Bhaban in Agargaon, Dhaka, on Saturday, the minister stressed the need for coordinated efforts to ensure the safe coexistence of people and wild elephants.
The event was jointly organized by the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), IUCN Bangladesh, Creative Conservation Alliance, Arannayk and Deep Ecology and Snake Conservation Foundation.
“Elephant conservation is not just about protecting the population of a species. It also involves safeguarding their habitats and movement corridors, maintaining ecological balance, and ensuring the safety and livelihoods of people living alongside them,” the minister said.
He said Bangladesh's wild elephants were an important part of the country's natural heritage and ecosystem, but their survival was facing serious challenges.
According to the Forest Department, Bangladesh had an estimated 268 wild elephants in 2016. Between 2016 and 2025, 146 elephants died.
Wild elephants are mainly found in Sherpur, Jamalpur, Mymensingh, Netrokona, Sunamganj, Sylhet, Chattogram, the Chittagong Hill Tracts and Cox's Bazar.
The minister identified shrinking habitats and movement corridors, deforestation, food shortages, road and railway construction, climate change and electric traps as major factors contributing to human-elephant conflict.
When elephants leave their natural habitats and enter settlements or farmland, both people and animals face serious risks, he said.
Mintoo stressed that authorities must move beyond responding to incidents after they occur and instead identify high-risk areas in advance.
He said the government would strengthen early warning systems and rapid response mechanisms while taking measures to protect elephant habitats and traditional movement routes.
The minister emphasized the importance of preserving traditional elephant corridors to facilitate the animals' movement and reduce encounters with people.
He said conservation efforts should also involve local communities, particularly those living in areas where human-elephant encounters are frequent.
Ensuring the safety and livelihoods of these communities must remain an integral part of conservation initiatives, he added.
The minister also highlighted the need to consider elephant movement routes during the planning and construction of infrastructure projects.
Roads, railways and other infrastructure can obstruct traditional elephant corridors, increasing the risk of conflict. He said infrastructure planning should incorporate safe passage facilities for elephants and other large wildlife.
Expressing concern over elephant poaching and trafficking in remote border areas of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Mintoo called for stronger surveillance and coordination between the Forest Department and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).
He said improved cooperation between the two agencies was necessary to prevent illegal hunting and wildlife trafficking in difficult-to-access areas.
The minister said elephant conservation was too complex to be handled by a single institution, particularly in a densely populated country like Bangladesh, where human settlements and wildlife habitats often overlap.
He called for stronger coordination among the Forest Department, law enforcement agencies, local administrations, infrastructure authorities, conservation organizations, researchers and local communities.
He said protecting elephant habitats, identifying conflict-prone areas, improving early warning systems and involving local communities would be essential to ensuring the long-term conservation of wild elephants.
The discussion brought together conservation organizations and other stakeholders to examine the challenges facing elephant conservation and identify measures to promote safer coexistence between people and wildlife.