Draft Survey Report on

Elephant Movement and Possible Intervention Sites in and around

Nayapara, Leda, Chakmarkul, Shamlapur, Unchiprang, Jadimura and Eastern

side of Kutupalong Camps, Cox’s Bazar

IUCN Bangladesh Country Office 5 June 2018

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Draft Survey Report

on

Elephant Movement and Possible Intervention Sites in and around

Nayapara, Leda, Chakmarkul, Shamlapur, Unchiprang, Jadimura and Eastern

side of Kutupalong Camps, Cox’s Bazar

‘Biodiversity Conflict Mitigation around the Refugee Camp of Cox’s Bazar District’ Project

Implemented by: IUCN Bangladesh Country Office

PREPARED BY

IUCN Bangladesh Country Office

House B-138 (Levels 5 & 6), Road 22

Mohakhali DOHS, Dhaka 1206

Phone: +8802 48810194, 48810195

Fax: +8802 48810197

Web: www.iucn.org/bangladesh

5 June 2018

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY1

IUCN Bangladesh, with support from the UNHCR, has been implementing a project entitled

‘Biodiversity Conflict Mitigation around the Refugee Camp of Cox’s Bazar District’ since

January 2018, with a view to minimize the human-elephant conflicts in and around the

Kutupalong Camp. During January−February 2018, IUCN Bangladesh conducted

comprehensive surveys in and around the Kutupalong Camp based on which a number of

practical interventions have been taken on the western side of the Camp by involving the

refugee community, with active facilitation from the UNHCR, the Bangladesh Forest

Department, the RRRC, the relevant Camp in-Charges (CiC), and the Site Management

Agencies.

In recent times, it was observed that the elephant movement has increased at Nayapara,

Leda, Chakmarkul, Shamlapur, Unchiprang, Jadimuara and eastern side of Kutupalong Camp

indicating potential human-elephant conflicts at these sites. Accordingly, UNHCR and IUCN

have decided to conduct another survey around those camp sites to understand elephant

movement and conflict situation and to identify possible intervention spots.

During 13−24 May 2018, IUCN Bangladesh engaged a trained elephant survey team to find

out the elephant presence, recent-past and present human-elephant conflict situation, and

possible intervention spots around those camp sites in south Cox’s Bazar.

IUCN team surveyed approximately 30 square kilometers of bare hills around the camps 21,

22, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27 and completed transect walk of around 130 kilometers. A total of

309 elephant dung piles and 390 elephant foot-print points of different ages were recorded

around the Camp area and were mapped. The survey revealed that elephant movement was

frequent around these camp areas.

Based on the elephant dung distribution and intensity, a total of possible 32 spots are identified

to install watch-towers. There is a need for forming 16 Elephant Response Teams (ERTs) and

build their capacity to guard these camps.

It was also realized that it is important to engage the host communities living around

Kutupalong and other camps in human-elephant conflict mitigation initiatives to save their lives

and assets from possible elephant attacks.

1 Citation of this report is: UNHCR & IUCN (2018). Elephant Movement and Possible Intervention

Sites in and around Nayapara, Leda, Chakmarkul, Shamlapur, Unchiprang, Jadimura and Eastern side of Kutupalong Camps, Cox’s Bazar (Draft). UNHCR, IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), Dhaka, Bangladesh.

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INTRODUCTION

Since January 2018, IUCN Bangladesh, with support from the UNHCR, has been

implementing a project entitled ‘Biodiversity Conflict Mitigation around the Refugee Camp of

Cox’s Bazar District’2. The aim of this first-ever collaboration is to minimize the human-

elephant conflicts in and around the Kutupalong Camp, thus saving the lives and assets of

thousands of forcibly-displaced Myanmar citizens staying in the world’s largest refugee camp

in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.

During January−February 2018, IUCN Bangladesh conducted comprehensive surveys3 in and

around the Kutupalong Camp to understand elephant movement and conflict situation, and to

identify possible interventions sites. Based on the results, a number of practical interventions

have been taken on the western side of the Camp by involving the refugee community and

with active facilitation from the UNHCR, the Bangladesh Forest Department, the RRRC, the

relevant Camp in-Charges (CiC), and the Site Management Agencies.

In recent months, it was observed that the elephant movement has increased around other

smaller camps in southern Cox’s Bazar, namely Nayapara, Leda, Chakmarkul, Shamlapur,

Unchiprang, and Jadimuara camps and also on the eastern side of Kutupalong Camp,

indicating potential human-elephant conflicts at these sites. Accordingly, UNHCR and IUCN

have decided to conduct another survey around those camp sites to understand elephant

movement and conflict situation and to identify possible intervention spots.

SURVEY METHODS

A total of six teams were engaged to conduct the elephant survey starting on 13 May 2018.

Each team consisted of two surveyors and a local guide, who had the knowledge on the

elephants and their movement. Initially, the edge of the camp were surveyed to find out any

signs and movement of elephants. Any types of elephant signs (e.g. foot-prints, dungs, and

broken trees) were recorded on GPS. The plotted GPS data of elephant sign revealed the

elephant movement routes or entry points to the Camp. From those points, the survey team

followed the elephant signs towards the nearest forest to map out the elephant movement

routes.

Two important pieces of evidence or features that prove the presence of elephant are

elephant’s foot-prints and dung piles. IUCN survey teams surveyed for these proofs to

understand the intensity of the elephant movement in and around the refugee camp in

Nayapara, Leda, Chakmarkul, Shamlapur, Unchiprang, Jadimuara and eastern side of

Kutupalong. The survey teams conducted GPS-GIS-based survey along with participatory GIS

2 Human-Elephant Conflict Mitigation around the Refugee Camp of Cox’s Bazar:

https://www.iucn.org/node/29728 3 UNHCR & IUCN (2018). Survey Report on Elephant Movement, Human-Elephant Conflict Situation,

and Possible Intervention Sites in and around Kutupalong Camp, Cox’s Bazar. UNHCR, IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), Dhaka, Bangladesh.

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(PGIS) technique to accurately locate the foot-prints and dung piles of elephants. Based on

the GPS points, a number of maps were produced using ARC-GIS.

MAJOR FINDINGS

Elephant signs

IUCN team surveyed approximately 30 square kilometers of bare hills around the camps 21,

22, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27 and completed transect walk of around 130 kilometers. A total of

309 elephant dung piles and 390 elephant foot-print points of different ages were recorded

around the Camp area and were mapped.

Elephant presence

Based on the survey data, maps were generated to present an analysis of the situation, and

to guide the human-elephant conflict mitigation activities on the ground. The Maps 1, 2, 5 and

6 show the distribution and intensity of elephant presence in and around the camps 21, 22,

23, 24, 25, 26, and 27, without and with the survey tracks, respectively. The background

satellite image is given in Maps 3 and 7 and showing the landscape of the same area. Surveys

and maps revealed that elephant movement was frequent along the edge of the camps.

The survey revealed a number of points through which elephants could enter into the camps,

as the whole area is now barren due to high rate of deforestation. Such exposure to elephant

interaction and elephant entry are expected to increase in the coming days.

Proposed locations for watch-towers

The survey identified a total of 32 possible spots (24 in Nayapara and other camps, and 8 on

the eastern side of Kutupalong Camp) along the camp boundaries where human-elephant

conflict mitigation measures, like installing watch-towers, need to be taken (Maps 4 and 8).

The total number of watch-towers may need to be increased, if the camps are expanded to

new areas.

Possible locations for Elephant Response Teams (ERTs)

Based on elephant intensity, the survey suggested to form 16 ERTs (12 at Nayapara and other

extended areas, and 4 on the eastern side of Kutupalong Camp) who will be trained and

facilitated to be in-charge of protecting the edges of the camps. The total number of ERTs

may need to be increased, if the camp are expanded to new areas.

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Possible interventions for the host community

The present survey identified that different interventions, like alternate cropping practice (with

crop species not preferred by elephants, like chilies), capacity building, community

engagement events, and awareness campaign, can be implemented with the involvement of

the host communities living around the new camps and on the eastern side of Kutupalong

Camp, so that the resident elephants as well as those travelling from Myanmar could not

damage to the camp people as well as the host communities. But it is crucial to provide

necessary training and logistics to the interested host communities, along with motivation.

Original (February 2018) boundary vs extended boundaries of Kutupalong Camp

A survey was also conducted in May 2018 to find out the extended camp boundaries of

Kutupalong Camp compared with the original ones when the first surveys were conducted by

IUCN Bangladesh in February 20184. It was revealed that most of the camp boundaries had

already extended and were fixed. The present survey, however, found that in some cases (for

example, Camps 4, 17, 19 and 20) the planned watch-towers and ERT locations needed to

be changed due to extended boundaries. The total number of watch-towers and ERTs may

need to be increased as well, if Kutupalong Camp continues to expand to new areas. Maps 9

and 10 show the extended camp boundaries in respect to the original camp boundary

(February 2018).

4 UNHCR & IUCN (2018). Survey Report on Elephant Movement, Human-Elephant Conflict Situation,

and Possible Intervention Sites in and around Kutupalong Camp, Cox’s Bazar. UNHCR, IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), Dhaka, Bangladesh.

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Map 1: Elephant presence around the camps 24, 25 26 and 27, based on elephant signs (foot-prints and dung piles). (Based on data from IUCN Bangladesh’s field survey conducted during 13−24 May 2018 and on maps provided by the UNHCR)

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Map 2: Elephant presence, along with traversing routes, around the camps 24, 25 26 and 27, based on elephant signs - foot-prints and dung piles. (Based on data from IUCN Bangladesh’s field survey conducted during 13−24 May 2018 and on maps provided by the UNHCR)

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Map 3: Elephant presence, against the landscape features, around the camps 24, 25 26 and 27, based on elephant signs - foot-prints and dung piles). (Based on data from IUCN Bangladesh’s field survey conducted during 13−24 May 2018 and on maps provided by the UNHCR)

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Map 4: Watch tower locations of the camps 24, 25, 26 and 27, (based on elephant signs - foot-prints and dung piles). (Based on data from IUCN Bangladesh’s field survey conducted during 13−24 May 2018 and on maps provided by the UNHCR)

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Map 5: Elephant presence around the camps of 21, 22 and 23, based on elephant signs (foot-prints and dung piles). (Based on data from IUCN Bangladesh’s field survey conducted during 13−24 May 2018 and on maps provided by the UNHCR)

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Map 6: Elephant presence, along with traversing routes, around the camp 21, 22 and 23, based on elephant signs - foot-prints and dung piles. (Based on data from IUCN Bangladesh’s field survey conducted during 13−24 May 2018 and on maps provided by the UNHCR)

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Map 7: Elephant presence, against the landscape features, around the camps, based on elephant signs - foot-prints and dung piles). (Based on data from IUCN Bangladesh’s field survey conducted during 13−24 May 2018 and on maps provided by the UNHCR)

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Map 8: Watch tower locations of the camps 21, 22 and 23, (based on elephant signs - foot-prints and dung piles). (Based on data from IUCN Bangladesh’s field survey conducted during 13−24 May 2018 and on maps provided by the UNHCR)

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Map 9: Elephant watch-tower locations with the original boundary (February 2018) and the extended boundaries of Kutupalong Camp. (Based on data from IUCN Bangladesh’s field survey conducted during 13−24 May 2018 and on maps provided by the UNHCR)

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Map 10: Priority elephant watch-tower locations with the original boundary (February 2018) and the extended boundaries of Kutupalong Camp. (Based on data from IUCN Bangladesh’s field survey conducted during 13−24 May 2018 and on maps provided by UNHCR)