The fires in the Amazon rainforest this September broke many hearts.
　　Tropical rainforests are the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the world， which are home to approximately 40 to 75 percent of biological species on the planet. The Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve， located at the southernmost tip of Yunnan Province， is the only tropical rainforest in China. It is home to a quarter of China’s mammals and aquatic species and about one-sixth of vegetation resources， many of which are unique to the region. The area is also the main habitat of 90 percent of China’s wild Asian elephants.
　　Asian Elephant Rescue
　　Only two species of elephants are now found in nature： the Asian elephant and the African elephant. Asian elephants have almost no natural enemies， and an adult Asian elephant can weigh up to four or five tons， second only to its “relative”African elephants among all terrestrial animals.
　　Asian elephants once inhabited nearly half of China’s land. In the 19th century， illegal hunting and decreasing habitats caused the population of wild Asian elephants to drop drastically. Their habitats in China shrank sharply. In the 1950s， significant populations of Asian elephants could still be found in four prefectures and cities of Yunnan Province： Xishuangbanna， Pu’er， Dehong and Lincang. By the early 1980s， wild elephants had disappeared from Dehong Prefecture and Pu’er City. The population of wild elephants in China was estimated to have dropped to as few as 170.
　　To protect wild Asian elephants， China listed the species as national first-class protected animal and implemented a series of effective measures to protect it and its habitats in 1989， resulting in a relatively complete protection system with restored habitats after a severe crackdown on poaching and illegal logging.


　　In 2008， China’s Yunnan Asian Elephant Breeding and Rescue Center was established in the Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve， the first of its kind in the country. The population of Asian elephants in Yunnan is currently estimated at around 300， nearly twice the count at the beginning of protection.


　　Conflict between Humans and Elephants
　　As the population of wild elephants has increased， their range of activities has also expanded dramatically. They started to encroach on farmland and disturb villages frequently， intersecting with human activities. 　　Fields of corn in Pu’er suit the taste of wild elephants. In the area， corn gradually matures from south to north， with a certain time difference. A herd of wild elephants will eat from the south to the north， following the ripe corn. Farmers must race against the wild elephants to harvest corn before they arrive. In some areas with a higher density of elephant population， the entire crop can be lost.


　　But human activities still more frequently encroach on the territory of Asian elephants. Many farmers around the nature reserve have planted cash forests and crops less attractive to elephants such as rubber， citrus fruits， tea and amomum. The practice not only erodes the already-small virgin forests and directly threatens local biodiversity， but also blocks the migratory passages of wild elephants， forcing them to seek new paths which often cause additional losses such as trampled crops and fallen trees.
　　“An adult Asian elephant eats hundreds of pounds of plants a day， so the animal needs a lot of space to find enough food，” explains Chen Mingyong， a professor at the School of Life Sciences at Yunnan University. He adds that when wild elephants can’t find enough to eat in the forest， they must venture onto farmland to consume crops， which would create conflict between people and elephants.
　　According to data from the Yunnan Forestry and Grassland Administration， between 2011 and 2017， wild elephants killed 32 people and injured 159 people in the province in addition to enormous economic losses.
　　Elephant Cafeteria
　　Facing huge losses that Asian elephants cause to the areas around their habitats， local administrators have looked to rational management methods and innovative ways of protection and development.


　　Chinese ethnic minorities living in southern Yunnan have always regarded Asian elephants as sacred symbols of good luck.“We should strive to invite local people to join protection efforts by helping them develop alternative economic methods and improve their living standards，”opines Zhang Li， a professor with the Institute of Ecology of Beijing Normal University. “Simultaneously， scientific study about the elephants’ecology and behavior should be used to plan ecological corridors to protect the existing habitats of Asian elephants and open access to wild food sources in suitable places by returning farmland to forests to attract elephants away from human settlements.” 　　In Pu’er City， an “Elephant Cafeteria” was opened for Asian elephants. The local government planned nearly 26.67 hectares of food source bases in areas with frequent wild elephant activities by planting plants like bananas and brown reeds. The measure guarantees food supply for wild elephants， reducing their “visits”to farmland. To protect the safety of local people and their property， Yunnan has also launched many innovative measures to alleviate conflict between people and elephants. For example， the local government and NGOs are cooperating to establish a wild elephant monitoring and early warning network， and the government has purchased “wild elephant accident insurance” for local residents and provided farmers with small loans to help them shift from agriculture to other businesses.
　　Since elephants often wander border areas， the Chinese government has also strengthened cooperation with neighboring countries on wild elephant protection in recent years. Since 2009， China and Laos have cooperated in their shared border area to establish a cross-border biodiversity conservation zone with a total area of about 2，000 square kilometers. The two countries have also jointly carried out wild elephant population surveys， joint patrols and personnel training.
　　“We need to establish an Asian elephant national park as soon as possible and ensure the animal has agreeable habitats and broader living space，” Zhang Li declares. “More importantly， we must optimize the usage of limited protection and compensation funds to establish a long-term effective ecological compensation mechanism， which is the fundamental way to minimize the conflict between people and wild elephants.”