The goal of this project is to recover elephants in huai KHA khaeng, kaeng krachan, and thap LAN world heritage sites through effective protection and collaborative human-elephant conflict…

The U.S. Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded a $1,413,952.19 Project Grant to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) under the Asian Elephant Conservation Fund (CFDA 15.621) program. The goal of this 3-year project, running from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2027, is to recover elephant populations in three UNESCO World Heritage sites in Thailand - Huai Kha Khaeng, Kaeng Krachan, and Thap Lan - through effective protection and mitigation of human-elephant conflicts.

The key products and services to be delivered under this award include: strengthening SMART patrol systems and monitoring in the three protected areas; promoting standard human-elephant conflict mitigation methods in buffer zones and monitoring their effectiveness; conducting wildlife-based education campaigns in local schools; and expanding conservation education and cooperation among national parks, communities, and stakeholders. WCS will leverage its expertise in wildlife conservation, research, and environmental protection to implement these comprehensive initiatives aimed at protecting endangered Asian elephants across the targeted landscapes.

The goal of this project is to recover elephants in huai KHA khaeng, kaeng krachan, and thap LAN world heritage sites through effective protection and collaborative human-elephant conflict mitigation of key source sites. Specific objectives are as follows: 1) to strengthen the smart patrol system in HKK through training, morale boosting support, and monitoring performance 2) to reduce HEC in the buffer zone of HKK by promoting standard mitigation methods along with monitoring of the effectiveness of those methods to examine temporal and spatial changes in elephant crop-raiding behavior 3) to promote conservation through wildlife-based education campaigns in schools around HKK 4) to strengthen the smart patrol system in kknp through training, morale boosting support, and monitoring performance 5) to reduce HEC around kknp by promoting standard mitigation methods along with monitoring of the effectiveness of those methods to examine temporal and spatial changes in elephant crop-raiding behavior 6) to expand conservation education and improve cooperation among national park, local communities, and other stakeholders to promote elephant elephant conservation and HEC mitigation schemes to local communities and the public 7) to strengthen the smart patrol system in tlnp through training, morale boosting support, and monitoring performance and 8) to reduce HEC around tlnp by promoting standard mitigation methods along with monitoring of the effectiveness of those methods to examine temporal and spatial changes in elephant crop-raiding behavior.