Elephant conservation helps preserve India’s forests as powerful carbon sinks: Study

Elephants, often described as ecosystem engineers, remain ecologically vital despite their limited contribution to faunal biomass, the researchers said. | Photo credit: Thulasi Kakkat

Protecting the endangered Asian elephant (Elephas maximus indicus) indirectly helps protect India’s forests as powerful carbon sinks, a new scientific study has said.

However, the research warned that long-term carbon stabilization cannot be achieved simply by declaring more areas as elephant sanctuaries, but by improving habitat quality, restoring wildlife corridors and strengthening forestry.

Carbon sequestration, an essential mechanism for removing greenhouse gases and mitigating climate change, is the process of capturing atmospheric carbon and locking it in stable solid forms (eg in soil or organic matter). This helps resist decomposition, erosion or the release of carbon back into the atmosphere.

The study, published in the latest issue of the Journal of Threatened Taxa, assessed the relationship between elephant conservation efforts, the expansion of elephant reserves, and the increase in carbon stocks in India between 1992 and 2025. It was authored by Tarun Kathula and Tanu Jindal of Amity University, Noida.

The researchers found that India’s network of elephant reserves has expanded from 18,297 square km. (across three elephant reserves) on 80,777 sq km. (33 elephant reserves) while the elephant population increased by about 6.7% from an estimated 25,604 during 1992-93. Despite the slight increase in pachyderm numbers, the estimated carbon stored in elephant reserves has increased by 38%.

The increase should not be interpreted as elephants directly creating more forest biomass, the researchers said, as it “primarily reflects increased protection and reduced degradation of pre-existing forest carbon stocks.”

The study estimates that about 95% of the increase in carbon storage is the result of the expansion of protected forest areas. However, elephant sanctuaries are not uniformly protected in the same way as statutory national parks or tiger reserves.

Elephants, often described as ecosystem engineers, remain ecologically vital despite their limited contribution to faunal biomass, the researchers said. The gentle giants, they pointed out, disperse seeds, enrich soils with dung, create space for diverse vegetation and help maintain healthy forests capable of storing carbon over the long term.

Weak link

The researchers also found a weak relationship between the number of elephant reserves and elephant population growth, suggesting that administrative declarations alone cannot ensure the future of the species if habitats remain fragmented or poorly managed.

The study further highlighted a worrying trend – a decline in the number of elephants, according to a new census methodology called the Synchronized All-India Elephant Estimate (SAIEE) 2021-25, while the number of elephant reserves has stabilised. SAIEE’s count of 22,446 was 4,065 elephants less than the 2017 estimate, but enumerators argued that the two different counting methods should not be compared.

“These findings highlight the role of conservation-driven land-use stabilization in promoting climate mitigation, while highlighting the need for cautious interpretation of wildlife-carbon relationships,” the study said.

Comparable patterns have been observed in African savanna ecosystems, where megaherbivore management has improved vegetation carbon stocks by 20–30%. “Such consistency across regions supports the generalized ecological principle that conservation of megafauna complements forest charcoal goals,” their study said.

“Policy integration of these results can strengthen India’s commitments to achieve 2.5-3 billion tCO₂ (total carbon dioxide) equivalent additional carbon sinks by 2030. Incorporating wildlife accounting into REDD+ frameworks could generate measurable credits for ecosystem services while ensuring co-benefits for biodiversity,” the study said.

REDD extends to “Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation”.

Published – 27 Jun 2026 18:16 IST