In the state of Assam, human elephant conflict (HEC) has resulted in large volumes of crops getting destroyed, people getting killed and ultimately elephants being killed in retaliation. The most afflicted landscape is the North Bank Landscape.

The North Bank Landscape encompasses a geographical area of more than 40,000 sq km in the north-eastern Indian states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The Brahmaputra, one of India’s magnificent rivers, defines the southern boundary of this landscape, while the foothills of the eastern Himalayas border the north. The landscape consists of lush evergreen forests and grasslands which provide a home to a wide array of species including the Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus), Indian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), and Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris). An estimated 40% of the entire Indian population of Asian elephants and nearly 10% of the world population resides in this landscape.

Government initiatives for managing HEC in the state of Assam has inadequate funds and technical knowhow, therefore, various conservation organizations including WWF-India have come forward to supplement the government initiatives to ensure a future for the 4000+ elephants in Assam.The two contiguous Elephant Reserves, Kameng and Sonitpur, in northeast India form the core for elephant conservation in the north bank of Brahmaputra River in the states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The area harbours one of Asia’s largest population of elephants with an estimate of about 1,800 in 2003.

The “hot zone” of Human Elephant Conflict in this landscape is Sonitpur, the second largest district in Assam. Sonitpur district covers an area of 5,327 sq km with a human population of nearly 19,25,275 (2011) and an estimated elephant population of about 436 (2011). The district has a good network of notified forest areas including the Nameri National Park (212 sq km) and Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary (175 sq km) in addition to the network of Reserve Forests. Almost 40% of the total geographical area of the district and more than 120 villages and 40 of the 60 large tea gardens of the district are affected by HEC.

The “hot zone” of Human Elephant Conflict in this landscape is Sonitpur, the second largest district in Assam. Sonitpur district covers an area of 5,327 sq km with a human population of nearly 19,25,275 (2011) and an estimated elephant population of about 436 (2011). The district has a good network of notified forest areas including the Nameri National Park (212 sq km) and Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary (175 sq km) in addition to the network of Reserve Forests. Almost 40% of the total geographical area of the district and more than 120 villages and 40 of the 60 large tea gardens of the district are affected by HEC.

Sonitpur is known to have historically borne the brunt of Human Elephant Conflict (HEC) recording the most human deaths and damage to crops in the state of Assam for years. There have been 206 human and 131 elephant fatalities between 1996 and 2009 and more than 50% HEC related human deaths have been recorded from the tea estates in the area. From 2001 to 2014, out of 245 people who died in Sonitpur due to HEC, 128 people are from the tea estates

Apeejay Tea has four tea estates in this "hot zone" - Dhulapadung, Ghoirallie, Borjuli and Sessa. Apeejay Tea had done its best to work with NGOs and Forest Department of Assam to conserve and protect wild life with ‘our home and theirs’ approach.

In 2014, the Board of Directors decided that a better, stronger and more sustainable coexistence strategy was needed as more and more animals have sought shelter in its estates as forest habitats were depleting rapidly. In 2015, Apeejay Tea announced their intention of finding lasting solutions to prevent and manage Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) in Assam by implementing a three-year, exhaustive management strategy in the most affected elephant landscapes of the state. Read Press Release.

The strategies implemented have been successful in stemming loss of life and severe injury to workers in our tea gardens. In 2017, the project is being extended to adjoining tea estates and other tea gardens of Apeejay Tea similarly impacted by Human Elephant Conflict.