Asian elephants involved in conflicts exhibit similar habitat use but travel farther than non-conflict individuals

Abstract

Rapid development and deforestation in Peninsular Malaysia have degraded and fragmented the tropical forest, impacting the survival of many megafauna species. With reduced space to roam, Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) may extend their range into the altered landscape, leading to human–elephant conflict (HEC). HEC is defined as any interactions between wild elephants and humans that result in negative effects on both humans and elephants. Although known as a keystone species in the region, spatial studies comparing conflict and non-conflict elephants have never been done before. In this study, we used GPS satellite collar data for five conflict and seven non-conflict elephants from 2012 to 2021. We mapped their home ranges, identified hotspots, and estimated the proportion of habitat use (area and time spent) across the Managed Elephant Ranges of Peninsular Malaysia. We found that nine of the 12 elephants spent >90 % of their time in their home range and >95 % of their time in hotspots in forested areas regardless of conflict status. redefining of conflict status as spending <53 % of the time in the home range and <41 % in hotspots in forested areas. However, conflict elephants moved significantly farther on the daily average than non-conflict elephants. Our findings highlight the importance of redefining the conflict status of elephants based on threat levels and habitat use to consider the rapidly degrading habitat that signals human–elephant coexistence.