In a remote area of Chhhattisgarh, notorious for human-animal conflicts, an Indian Forest Service officer has come up with a solution making innovative use of Artificial Intelligence or AI. 2017 batch IFS officer Varun Jain, who is the Deputy Director of Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve (USTR), has launched an app called ‘Chhattisgarh Elephant Tracking and Alert’ that works in collaboration with elephant trackers and human patrolling teams to identify the presence and movements of elephants.
The good news is, after the launch of this AI-based app two months ago, there has been no report of casualty due to human-elephants conflict till now.
Indian Masterminds interacted with the officer to know in detail about this wondrous app.
SAVING LIVES
Seeing the success of this app, 9800 villagers from 230 villages have registered in it and 13 districts have adopted this system and took training on the app operation from the USTR authorities. The AI-based system, which works on high-tech monitoring, is not just reducing conflict. It is also saving lives and properties of the villagers, and helping the forest department in elephant conservation.
THE SYSTEM
However, a lot of work went into the launch of this app. Before its launch in February 2023, the forest department collected data of elephants through the ODK App, which is available freely on Internet. On this app, the department created a Google form with various sections of information related to elephants, and advised the members of the ‘Hathi Mitra Dal’ to fill up the form.
After collecting data in this way for almost a year, the forest department added all this information into one place with the help of AI. Ever since, AI can identify the villages in a radius of 10 km of proximity of an elephant herd and send alerts to the mobile phones of the villagers living within this area through calls, voice and WhatsApp messages. Even this is variable. For instance, if the elephants’ movement is fast, then the radius of 10 km might change to 5 km.
In case of detection of any elephant movement in the vicinity of human, the app immediately sends a voice message along with text that goes like this – “Warning! Wild elephants are close in your vicinity and they are about 10 kilometres away. Beware and spread the word among others too.”
As for the villagers, they do not need to install or operate the app. They just need to register their mobile number and GPS location with the forest department. The forest guards help them in the registration, after which, they can receive ‘elephant alerts’ on their phones. Records show that a total of 14 lakh credits (calls, sms, WhatsAap messages) have been triggered by the app till date.
Mr. Jain said, “Elephants in Chhattisgarh do not have radio collars on. That is why, there was an immense need to track their movements to avoid human-elephant conflicts. Now that the results are really good, we are planning to implement it in other places as well.”
The app can also be used for inter-state elephant movements as Chhattisgarh shares boundaries with seven states.
HOW IT HELPS
Now, the villagers receive timely warnings about elephant movement in their area helping them to take precautions in advance. This also showcases AI’s ability to harmonise with human patrols and tracker systems in fostering a more informed and secure coexistence with wildlife. Collaborating with the elephant tracker system and human patrol, the app gathers real data on elephant presence and movement. It also processes the inputs or information provided by the Hathi Mitra Dals.
Mr. Jain said, “This app is facilitating in studying the patterns of elephants herds, like which corridor or which forest area they prefer, which are the villages in the vicinity, and when do they prefer to move from one district to another.”
So, while the forest department continues its focus on raising awareness, educating villagers about cohabiting with wild elephants, and sharing conflict avoidance measures, the app has significantly brought down the casualties and conflicts.
By seamlessly integrating traditional methods with modern technology, this wonder app is helping the forest department to stay one step ahead when it comes to tackling human-elephant conflict. Like it’s said, prevention is better than cure.
