Factors influencing the habitat suitability of wild Asian elephants and their implications for human–elephant conflict in Myanmar

Abstract

Anthropogenic disturbances are key factors affecting the distribution and ranging behaviour of wild elephants. Such disturbances exaggerate threats to the survival and population decline of wild elephants, and they have negative consequences for the livelihood of local people. We aimed to identify which factors influence the spatial movement, distribution, and suitable habitats of wild Asian elephants, to examine the relationship between elephant habitat use and human–elephant conflict (HEC) incidents, and to explore whether HEC is caused by habitats preferred by elephants or by human predictors. We used presence-only data from 25 GPS-collared elephants from the southern Rakhine State, Ayeyawady, and Yangon-Bago Regions of Myanmar. Maxent modelling was applied to identify suitable habitats for wild elephants and Manly’s selection ratio was calculated to find the most utilised habitats by elephants. The generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) were fitted to explore the most liable factors for HEC. The study identified 11,524 km2 of suitable habitat for wild elephants in southwest Myanmar. Results indicated that elevation, distance to water sources, and mean annual precipitation contribute most to the distribution and suitability of wild elephant habitats. Disturbed and degraded forests were highly utilised by elephants. Elephants in less suitable habitats exhibited more aggressive behaviour leading to intense HEC. This suggests that human encroachment into elephant habitats has intensified HEC. We recommend that areas, where larger croplands exist at the lower altitudes near degraded forests and/or water bodies, should be prioritized to monitor and minimize HEC. Elephant habitats in forested areas should be restored and replenished, with water holes and suitable plants provided for the most severely degraded habitats. Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), Distribution, Habitat suitability, Human–elephant conflict(HEC), Maxent