A Study On Progression Of Human-elephant Relations In The Last50Years In Xishuangbanna

Research has been lacking on the development of human-elephant relations in the last50years in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province, although many researches have been done on distribution and population of elephants, and causes, results and mitigation methods of Asian elephant-related problems. To research the progression of human-elephant relations in the last50years, from harmony to serious conflict, a Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), field survey,3S technology, and literature research were used in the investigation of39villages from Mengyang, Mengla and Shangyong in Xishuangbanna from July2009to March2011. The results were as fellows.(1) Little interference (1959-1971). Asian elephants distributed to the east of the Lancang River. There was a large forest area. The native minorities abided by traditional way of farming and live. Therefore, living space of human and elephant remained separate. The traditional ecological culture protected the Asian elephants and their habitat. As a social factor, the traditional ecological culture, including Forest Priority, Holy Hill and Elephant Culture, maintained this human-elephant relation. The relation would change if the development of human violated tradition.(2) Frequent encounters (1972-1990). The cultivated zone expanded into the natural habitat gradually, resulting in transformation of the habitat from natural to artificial, and from crop cultivation to cash forests and crops. The habitat fragmentation blocked the elephant’s migration route between Jinghong and Mengla. Poaching of local communities made the elephants closer to villages, forming a mixed living space and leading to frequent encounters. Therefore, traditional ecological culture transformed into selfish consciousness and natural habitat transformed into artificial land-use brought a change in human-elephant relations in this stage.(3) Conflicts becoming serious (1991-1995). Traditional ecological culture had yielded to human self-interest, and then the most serious illegal poaching occurred in the nature reserve. As a result, the elephant left the nature reserve and got into the human settlement. At the same time, there was a discrepancy in food quality between the inside and outside of the nature reserve, due to the expansion of cultivated land both in and out of the nature reserve. The elephants came out of the reserve, causing the overlapping living space for human and elephant and creating serious conflict. So, the neglect of traditional ecological culture and coincident living space were the driving factors of the serious conflict between human and elephant. When human or elephant changed their intensity or method of living, the relation of human and elephant would change into another stage.(4) Protection and serious elephant-related problems (1996-2005). Illegal poaching and other damage to elephants were put down by the strengthened policies, but wild elephants moved among the fragmented landscapes, causing serious damage to local people. Especially, many elephants moved in and around villages, located outside north of the Mengyang nature reserve and west of the Shangyong nature reserve. The elephants foraged agricultural crops, destroyed property and injured people, severely interfering with human activities. The interrelation developed: humans protected elephants, but elephants attacked humans. Change both of human and elephants’ population and lifestyle altered the interrelation. When human or elephant changed their activities again, the relation would enter a new stage.(5) Sawing confrontation (2006-2010). On the one hand, the communities’ confidence in settling in elephant-related area and dependence on the land had increased due to the development of society and economy. On the other hand, obstacle to the elephants’ migration route and the dependence of the elephant on food and villages made the elephant move and roam in more than150villages in Mengyang, Mengla and Shangyong, and even moved into Lancang, Simao, Ning’ er and Jiangcheng in Puer Prefecture. Therefore, the relation of human-elephant became sawing confrontation, which meant the elephant hid in the forest when humans moved, and humans hid when the elephant moved. Therefore, communities’ dependence on the land and the elephants’ dependence on food and villages were driving factors. The relation would improve to another stage, if humans or elephants changed their behavior.Therefore, the author believes that, at the initial stage, humans were mainly influenced the change of human-elephant relations, as traditional ecological culture yielded to human self-interest, population increased and land-use transformed; but more recently, humans have been passive losers. It illustrates that social and cultural factors were very important factors in the change of the human-elephant relations. To change the sawing confrontation, how to decrease the overlap of living space and resources between human and elephant was critical. It is necessary to change the communities’ dependence on land and the elephants’ dependence on villages and crops, guiding communities to remove agricultural production from Asian elephant disturbance zone, helping communities find other livelihoods, and changing elephants’ dependence on villages, both in behavior and in habitat factors.