Wildlife conservation is not a matter of sentiment alone. For Indian conservationist Praveen Bhargav, Managing Trustee of Wildlife First, protecting elephants and their habitats demands a rigorous combination of sound science, reliable data, effective policy, and solutions that genuinely work on the ground. Bhargav, who visited Colombo at the invitation of the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society, brought with him decades of frontline conservation experience and a clear message: emotion may inspire action, but science must guide it.
Why Science Must Lead Conservation Efforts
At the heart of Bhargav's philosophy is a firm belief that conservation decisions must be evidence-based. Too often, wildlife policies are shaped by public sentiment, political convenience, or anecdotal observations rather than robust scientific research. This approach, he argues, ultimately fails both wildlife and the communities that coexist with them.
Elephant conservation presents a particularly complex challenge. These animals are highly intelligent, wide-ranging, and deeply social. They require vast landscapes to survive, bringing them into frequent contact with human settlements, agricultural land, and infrastructure. Managing this reality requires more than goodwill — it demands accurate population data, habitat mapping, corridor identification, and an understanding of elephant behaviour rooted in long-term field research.
Bhargav emphasises that science-based conservation is not an abstract ideal. It translates directly into better decision-making at every level — from forest department rangers managing daily human-elephant conflict to national governments drafting wildlife legislation. Without credible data, even the most well-intentioned policies risk doing more harm than good.
The Role of Policy in Protecting Elephants
Science alone, however, is insufficient. Bhargav is equally vocal about the critical role that policy plays in determining conservation outcomes. Legislation must reflect ground realities, and enforcement mechanisms must be both practical and consistent. In many South and Southeast Asian countries, including India and Sri Lanka, elephant conservation laws exist on paper but face serious implementation challenges.
One of the most pressing policy concerns is the protection of elephant corridors — the narrow strips of forest or landscape that connect fragmented habitats and allow elephant populations to move, breed, and access resources. When these corridors are encroached upon by agriculture, roads, or settlements, elephant populations become isolated, increasing the risk of genetic bottlenecks and intensifying human-elephant conflict.
Bhargav advocates for stronger legal protections for identified corridors, combined with community engagement strategies that give local populations a genuine stake in conservation outcomes. He points to successful models in India where corridor protection has been achieved not through forced displacement but through dialogue, compensation mechanisms, and alternative livelihood programmes for affected communities.
Addressing Human-Elephant Conflict
Perhaps no issue in elephant conservation is more urgent or more emotionally charged than human-elephant conflict. Across Asia, elephants raid crops, damage property, and occasionally cause human fatalities. In response, communities sometimes retaliate, leading to elephant deaths through poisoning, electrocution, or direct killing. This cycle of conflict erodes public support for conservation and places enormous pressure on already vulnerable elephant populations.
Bhargav's approach to conflict mitigation is pragmatic. He stresses the importance of early warning systems, physical barriers such as properly maintained electric fences, and rapid response teams trained to manage elephant movements near human settlements. Critically, he argues that these measures must be implemented with the active participation of local communities rather than being imposed from above.
Compensation schemes for crop and property damage are another essential component. When farmers bear the financial cost of living alongside elephants without adequate support, resentment grows and conservation efforts are undermined. Fair, timely, and transparent compensation can shift community attitudes from hostility to tolerance — and sometimes even to active support for elephant protection.
Persistence as a Conservation Virtue
Beyond science and policy, Bhargav highlights a quality that is less easily measured but equally vital: persistence. Conservation is a long game. Habitats are not restored overnight, policies take years to implement and refine, and shifting public attitudes requires sustained effort across generations. Many conservation battles are won not through dramatic interventions but through the quiet, consistent work of individuals and organisations who refuse to give up.
Wildlife First, under Bhargav's leadership, exemplifies this persistence. The organisation has spent years documenting wildlife, challenging harmful policy decisions through legal channels, and building coalitions of scientists, communities, and policymakers committed to evidence-based conservation in India.
A Shared Challenge, A Shared Responsibility
Bhargav's visit to Sri Lanka underscores an important reality: elephant conservation is a regional challenge that transcends national boundaries. Both India and Sri Lanka are home to the Asian elephant, a species listed as endangered, and both countries grapple with similar pressures of habitat loss, human-elephant conflict, and policy gaps.
By sharing knowledge, strategies, and hard-won lessons across borders, conservationists like Bhargav help build a stronger, more coordinated response to the threats facing Asian elephants. His roadmap — grounded in science, strengthened by policy, and sustained by persistence — offers a compelling model for elephant conservation not just in South Asia, but wherever these magnificent animals still roam.