Guwahati: Aaranyak, a leading conservation organization, has installed 30 additional solar streetlights across 21 human-elephant conflict (HEC)-prone villages in Assam‘s Udalguri, Baksa, and Tamulpur districts as solar streetlights have proved a suitable tool for mitigation of human-elephant conflict.
These districts are known to experience frequent human-elephant conflict.
The initiative was undertaken by Aaranyak with the support of the SBI Foundation. Local communities were also actively involved in the project to prevent human-elephant encounters after sunset in HEC-prone areas.
These strategically placed solarlights will illuminate vulnerable areas, allowing villagers to spot wild elephants from a safe distance.
This improved visibility will help prevent accidental encounters between humans and elephants, promoting peaceful coexistence in shared spaces.
“The solarlights are strategically placed where the locations were identified involving local communities and members from Elephant Conservation Network (ECN), helping both communities and elephants to avoid accidents and distress,” said Dr Alolika Sinha, a senior biologist in Aaranyak.
Aaranyak’s team, along with ECN members and local residents, successfully completed the installation of all 30 solar streetlights.
This collaborative effort highlights the importance of community involvement in promoting human-wildlife harmony.
