The Indian unit of A Rocha, a global conservation group, has recommended a shift in farm practices, among other measures, in places prone to elephant-human conflicts to check escalation of these incidents.

Cultivating crops that aren’t fit for consumption by elephants such as agro-forestry produce like Teak and Eucalyptus is one of the key recommendations made by A Rocha India’s Avinash Krishnan and Sagarika Phalke, who conducted a rapid study of the problem in Tamil Nadu’s Hosur forest division. The study was limited to a private farmland in Gonmaknahalli Village abutting Anchetty Range.

A Rocha has carried out similar experiments in mitigation of elephant-human conflict, including by using a chili-tobacco barrier that leverages the elephant’s strong sense of smell to keep them from raiding agriculture fields.

To see the Tamil Nadu study report, click here.