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Exploding human populations, rising consumption of natural resources and the expansion of human activities into previously remote areas is continuing to deplete and further fragment traditional elephant habitat, causing conflict and loss of life. Practical solutions and imaginative new ideas are needed if we are to make a difference. Even more important we, human beings, must begin to curb our excesses and live in balance with available natural resources, if we want to safe-guard ecosystems for elephants, other species, and ultimately, for ourselves. The increasing conflict between elephants and people has two faces. People endure loss of life and property and elephants suffer injuries and mortalities. Just as in negotiating between warring human societies, promoting co-existence between two species requires an understanding of the needs of the protagonists. Over the years numerous projects has been launched to find ways to create more harmony between elephants and people - Save the Elephants Human-Elephant Coexistence Toolbox represents one major, evidence-based initiative. Poor land use and exploding human populationsConservationists, wildlife managers and funding agencies have tended to focus on mitigating the symptoms of human-elephant conflict, through erecting barriers, developing deterrents and early warning systems, and sensitising local communities, rather than managing or eliminating |