Tereza Lacigová
Flowscapes
(Co)habitats: Designing landscapes of coexistence between humans and elephants in Assam, India
Assam’s rapidly growing population has brought more urbanisation and expansion of agricultural lands, leading to deforestation and the disappearance of natural habitats for wild animals, especially the elephants.
Facing a food shortage and being pushed out of their natural habitats, the elephants increasingly come to search for food in villages and fields, making them a threat to vulnerable rural communities.
The (Co)Habitats project aims to formulate a landscape-based strategy for a landscape of human and wildlife coexistence by creating solutions that benefit all human and non-human stakeholders. It especially focuses on the possibility of combining tea production landscapes with wildlife corridors and habitats.
By providing natural sources of food and enough space for the wildlife, the threats to people, such as crops being grazed by elephants, are mitigated and the positive relationship between people and the elephants can be restored.