TERF Thai Elephant Research and Conservation Fund

HEC in Khao Yai

Khao Yai is one of the most recent of Thailand’s protected areas to record instances of HEC. WERF is working closely with Park officials and local communities to survey and monitor the instances of HEC.

We aim to work with local people to find solutions to the problem, or at least minimize it. In the next year we aim to develop and build on this work by:

• Developing a standardized survey methodology to find out about the instances of HEC around Khao Yai, actions taken to prevent or reduce the impact of HEC, the level of damage and the attitudes of directly and indirectly affected villagers.
• Surveying elephant damage after each HEC instance to assess the severity of the damage and to establish numbers of elephants involved and patterns of elephant movement from the forest to the fields.
• Using camera traps to try and identify the guilty elephants.
• Using our research and GIS mapping to predict new areas where HEC may occur and focus outreach and education in these areas.
• Discussing ways of reducing the problem with affected farmers and KYNP officials, with a focus on local knowledge and experiences of other areas in Thailand and further afield.
• Actively assist villagers to reduce the problem through non-lethal techniques.
• Through raising awareness of the plight of Asian Elephants, encourage villagers to value and not hate their elephant raiders.
• Link with the Nationwide HEC project.