Supporting wildlife-friendly infrastructure to help Asian elephants

Asian elephants were once widespread across the continent, from the Persian Gulf to China. Today, they only occupy around 5% of their original range. Within this range, particularly in Southeast Asia and southern China, Asian elephants are sharing space in some of the most densely populated countries. This is putting even greater pressure on these elephant populations as they are increasingly finding their habitats fragmented or disappearing entirely.

Infrastructure development can pose a significant threat to Asian elephants as roads and railways intersect with important elephant habitat and become barriers to movement. A recent traffic accident on a Malaysian highway that led to the death of an elephant calf was a tragedy that highlighted the need for improved measures to enable safe elephant movement.

Laying the groundwork for sustainable infrastructure development

Launched In August 2023, WWF’s "Elly Allies" initiative has been helping to build momentum across elephant range countries in Southeast Asia and China to prioritize sustainable and wildlife-friendly infrastructure, among other elephant conservation priorities.

Last year, experts from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN’s) Asian Elephant Transport Working Group, which includes WWF experts, co-authored the first elephant-specific guidelines to help countries reduce collisions and provide safe passage for elephants. The publication was a result of a collaborative effort between the IUCN’s Asian Elephant Specialist Group and the Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group.

As the first step towards implementation of the handbook’s recommendations, WWF and partners kicked off the first wildlife-friendly infrastructure training workshops in Bhutan and Malaysia in close collaboration with the country governments earlier this year. The workshops introduced the handbook to key government agencies and decision makers and laid the foundation for elephant range countries to turn the guidelines into on-the-ground action. Future workshops will be held in other Asian elephant range countries.

“The accident in Malaysia is so tragic, but there are ways to avoid these kinds of incidents in the future if mitigation measures that allow safe elephant movement and prevent such collisions are implemented in the process of constructing roads,” says Nilanga Jayasinghe, Asian elephant specialist at WWF and a member of the IUCN Asian Elephant Transport Working Group.

WWF-Malaysia has been working closely with local authorities on wildlife-friendly infrastructure. In May, WWF organized a workshop in Malaysia that not only focused on presenting the handbook to mitigate the impacts of infrastructure in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, but also provided an opportunity to share cross-sectoral experiences and co-develop preliminary wildlife-friendly design recommendations for the last development phase of the Pan Borneo Highway. WWF is also supporting the launch of Malaysia’s upcoming campaign aimed at improving road safety for both people and wildlife at the Gerik-Jeli highway where the tragic incident happened.

Looking ahead

Linear infrastructure development like roads and railways continues to accelerate and pose critical threats to Asian elephants, particularly in Southeast Asia and southern China. We’re continuing to work with elephant range countries on ensuring that infrastructure development, which is needed for economic growth in the region, doesn't come at the cost of elephants and other wildlife.

For example, the handbook is being translated into other Asian languages, and WWF will continue to introduce and disseminate the handbook in collaboration with key government representatives in elephant range countries.

WWF is urging more governments, planners, funders and communities to become "Elly Allies" and consider sustainable infrastructure so we can better protect Asian elephants and ensure they can move safely through these shared landscapes.