Perception of Human–Elephant Conflict and Conservation Attitudes of Affected Communities in Myanmar

Abstract

Myanmar is an ideal location for Asian elephant ( Elephas maximus L.) conservation because it still contains large expanses of elephant habitat. However, increasing human–elephant conflict (HEC) threatens to derail ongoing elephant conservation programs. We conducted 303 interviews in rural communities living near elephants to help inform long-term management strategies to conserve this endangered species. We sought to understand the main challenges that people in these communities face in improving their quality of life, as well as the types and levels of HEC they experience and their attitudes toward elephant conservation. Poverty, not conflict with elephants, was the greatest obstacle reported by our participants. However, HEC was deemed a moderate to major problem, with 38% of farmers indicating they lost half or more of their crops to elephants the previous year. Our results showed that communities living in proximity to and often harmed by elephants were nevertheless supportive of elephant conservation and willing to contribute to conservation efforts. This result offers hope in the quest to maintain elephant populations in Myanmar. We conclude that conservation policies that also address societal challenges such as poverty may be more effective in protecting elephants than policies that address HEC alone.