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Technology Testing to Mitigate Human-Elephant Conflict and Promote Coexistence in West Bengal

Summary

Details of Implementation

To mitigate human-elephant conflict in West Bengal, JICA is working with the West Bengal Forest Department (WBFD) to launch a pilot project (PoC) to test technologies and inform WBFD’s data strategy. We selected a digital partner with a proven track record in conservation technology in India and similar regions to provide and implement technology-based solutions.

Digital Partner

RESOLOVE

Timeline

Mid-August 2023 to January 2024

Status

Index

Project Context

In the 2021-2022 period, the tragic repercussions of the -elephant conflict (HEC) in West Bengal were starkly evident, with 77 lives lost, 190 individuals injured, and crop damage surpassing 40 million hectares in aggregate. These distressing statistics emphasize the critical need for immediate action and innovative solutions to mitigate the devastating impact of HEC. In collaboration with the West Bengal Forest Department (WBFD), JICA has worked to launch a Proof-of-concept (PoC) to test technologies and inform WBFD's data strategy.

JICA’s loan project to the forestry and biodiversity sector in West Bengal started in 2012 as the “West Bengal Forest and Biodiversity Conservation Project (WBFBCP)”. WBFBCP was closed in 2022, and a new project, “The Project for Forest and Biodiversity Conservation for Climate Change Response in West Bengal (WB-FBCCCR)”, has started since March 2023 with eight years of the project implementation period. During the first project, WBFD implemented some countermeasures against HEC, such as electric fencing, studies of elephant ecology, and watch tower construction. In addition to that, during the second project, WBFD plans to procure and introduce tracking of elephant routes through radio collaring, installation of EWS (Early Warning System), and a pilot project for the use of UAVs as project activities. Accordingly, PoC is expected not only to test technologies during PoC itself but also to find out effective solutions for deployment in project activities of WB-FBCCCR.

We recruited solutions publicly and reached out to technology companies to join the bidding process. After careful consideration, we have selected RESOLVE as a Digital partner for this PoC to implement their advanced technology solution. This collaboration will not only enhance the efficiency of our HEC mitigation efforts but also inform future data management strategies, ensuring sustainable wildlife conservation for generations to come.

RELATED MATERIALS

1．West Bengal Forest and Biodiversity Conservation Project (2012 − 2022)
Ex-Ante Evaluation
Project Completion Report

2．The Project for Forest and Biodiversity Conservation for Climate Change Response in West Bengal (2023 −)
Ex-Ante Evaluation (*Japanese only)
Press Release

3．RFP
Request for Proposal for the PoC

PoC Implementation Requirements

Eligibility (Expertise)
  • Has experience in offering solutions to mitigate human-wildlife conflict in India or other similar regions
  • Proposed solution focuses on conflict prevention and/or conflict response
  • Proposed solution has been tested at other sites
Budget ceiling

USD 70,000 including all taxes and expenses, however negotiable.

Primary scope of work
  • PoC Design: Needs assessment, developing WBFD’s data utilization plan, testing/validating the solution, finalizing roll-out strategy, and monitoring/evaluation plan localization
  • PoC Implementation: Solution roll-out, adaptation, and localization
  • Monitoring and Evaluation: Monitoring and evaluation, ongoing support and maintenance, reporting
RFP

RFP also includes other information, including the project background, animal habitat, and eligibility. Please visit RFP for details.

RFP

Required Technologies

  • Early Warning & Rapid
    Response System    To prevent and reduce direct pressure that leads to conflict (optional and not required)
  • Monitoring & Reporting
    Tools    For local communities to monitor animal behaviors/mitigation measures and submit reports to be integrated into the national/state-level database (optional and not required)

RESULT

Outline of Implementation

In this PoC (August 2023-February 2024), 30 AI camera alert systems (TrailGuard AI) by RESOLVE were installed in the Jhargram region of West Bengal in India to test its effectiveness as a digital solution mitigating human-elephant conflict.

The system automatically detects elephants in real time and issue alerts to forest officers and local communities immediately. Through the PoC, the system has been verified to enable accurate identification of where and when elephants appear, and to significantly reduce the time from elephant detection to on-site response (e.g., blocking of forest trails) from several hours to an average of just over 18 minutes. During the PoC period, TrailGuard AI detected a total of 175 elephants, and no HEC-related deaths or injuries were observed in the areas where TrailGuard AI was deployed – alerts being issued in real time and appropriate responses taken quickly in the field contributed to this.

The installation of TrailGuard AI was done in a phased approach from October to December 2023, following multiple discussions between the West Bengal Forest Department and RESOLVE. Prior to the installation, workshops were held with local communities and forest officers to share the use of the camera system by RESOLVE, as well as to discuss the establishment of field response protocols and the design of field response teams, which ensured that the PoC was implemented in collaboration with the community and the field.

Based on the results and lessons learned from this PoC, we will continue to study ways to promote the conservation of biodiversity and coexistence of animals and humans in the region, including the introduction of similar initiatives in other regions and for other species, and the identification of individual elephants through the advancement of AI models.

Results Report

Please see the results report below.

Project members

Digital Partner

RESOLOVE

RESOLVE will introduce TrailGuard AI—an AI-enabled, camera-based real time alert system—to West Bengal to mitigate human-elephant conflict and promote wildlife conservation.

Established in 1977, RESOLVE is a Washington, DC-based non-profit organization that forges sustainable solutions to critical environmental, social, and health challenges by creating innovative partnerships where they are least likely and most needed. RESOLVE brings a unique combination of expertise to our work: mediation and process design; solutions-focused strategies and programs; and a capacity to create and launch self- sustaining social enterprises.

Nightjar LLC (Nightjar) is a limited liability social benefit company organized and funded to achieve the social and environmental objectives of developing durable long-lasting high technology devices—including the trademarked TrailGuard AI. Nightjar emerged from the Biodiversity and Wildlife Solutions program at RESOLVE Inc.

RESOLVE Official website

Dr. Eric Dinerstein
Senior Advisor, Biodiversity & Climate RESOLVE
CEO, Nightjar LLC

"India, with its rich biodiversity, holds a pivotal role in global conservation efforts. Our PoC project deploying the TrailGuard AI system, in collaboration with the West Bengal Forest Department, is a testament to our commitment to safeguarding this vital hub of biodiversity and resolving human-elephant conflicts and promoting long-term coexistence”
- Dr. Eric Dinerstein"

Dr. Eric Dinerstein

Comments after project implementation

Sankarshan Rastogi, Piyush Yadav, and Eric Dinerstein,
Ph.D.

The Proof-of-Concept exercise in collaboration with WBFD and JICA has been an integral component of RESOLVE's work towards using TrailGuard AI technology as an early warning system for human-elephant conflict mitigation. The field-based deployment of our camera-alert system in Jhargram, a multi-use landscape, has been a first for us wherein we have learned many valuable lessons in improving and enhancing the system overall for the benefit of end-users. The results from this project in terms of nearly 200 unique detections of elephants and transmissions including those of lone bulls, small groups, and large herds in daylight and post-sunset hours manifest the effectiveness of TrailGuard AI alert system. The transmission of real-time elephant alerts to the frontline forest staff under a mean duration of 40 seconds and information sharing with local communities has reduced the response time of the Rapid Response Teams from between 1-5 hours to a record mean time of 18 minutes. Most importantly, there were no fatalities or injuries in areas proximal to the location of the camera-alert systems, whereas in the same locations over the previous two years there were three deaths and five serious injuries. We wish to ensure continued collaboration with the partners and encourage deployment of TrailGuard AI in sufficient densities within different forest divisions of West Bengal in order to aid forest staff in effective mitigation and prevention of human-elephant negative interfaces thus promoting coexistence. Beyond West Bengal, the challenge to protect rural communities in India is enormous: 106 people were killed by tigers in 2023 and 605 deaths from encounters with elephants in 2022. These preventable tragedies speak to replicating this technology across the hotspots of conflict as soon as possible.

Project Owner

Amitabh Vibhakar Mishra
Chief Director for the Project for Forest and Biodiversity Conservation for Climate Change Response in West Bengal (as of 06/2023)

PoC project with JICA on "Human Elephant Conflict" mitigation is an opportunity to test the "Control Strategies" in an area with recurrence of HEC and "Zero-in" on the most effective method or a "series of methods" which may be replicated throughout the elephant infested territory of the state.

Amitabh Vibhakar Mishra

Comments after project implementation

Sumana Bhattacharyys
Chief Conservator of Forests and Project Director, WBFBCCCR

The PoC on Human Elephant Conflict mitigation at Jhargram through 30 TrailGuard AIs, installed at judiciously selected locations, helped in shortening the response time of RRTs greatly. Thus the JFMC members (i.e. Forest fringe village population) could be alerted timely and no major mishap occurred in that landscape during the PoC. We want to maintain the existing TrailGuards and looking forward to further expansion in the future. Such work involving Asiatic Elephant is very unique and the data collected during the period and may be integrated for use by global scientist community.

Sponsor

Hirari Sasaki
Japan International Cooperation Agency/Country Officer, South Asia Department, JICA HQ (as of 06/2023)

JICA's support to the forestry and biodiversity sector in West Bengal started in 2012 by providing a concessional loan to projects of the state's Forest Department.

Since then, JICA has promoted the use of technology to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the projects and is also pursuing to create societal impact through digital technology and data.

Human-Elephant Conflict is one of the serious challenges in West Bengal that requires immediate action utilizing cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions. To address this challenge through our projects, we are looking forward to collaborating with digital partners.

Hirari Sasaki

Comments after project implementation

Hirari Sasaki

In this PoC, RESOLVE’ｓ TrailGuardAI that is camera alert system with AI was installed in Jhargram district of West Bengal State in India. By introducing this system, forest staff and local communities received alert immediately when elephant had approached community area and as a result, it was found that the alert was more accurate and contributes to reduce necessary time for dealing with elephant and the conflict.
In addition, this PoC was collaborated with forest officers and local communities on installation of TrailGuardAI, monitoring, communication, etc. with a support and guidance by Resolve and West Bengal Forest Department regarding the purpose of PoC, how to use TrailGuardAI and its features, etc.
This PoC as a stepping stone, we look forward to future development which contributes to promote coexistence between human and wildlife, such as expansion of other area/wildlife, proposal of new countermeasure against conflict by utilizing data through TrailGuardAI, etc.

Partner Relationship

Info Session

【Past Event】We plan to host an information session for bidders in the week of June 26th, 2023.

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