Conflicts between the conservation of Elephant and Human activities: In the case of Babile Elephant Sanctuary (BES), Ethiopia

Conflicts between the conservation of wildlife and human activities occur in all habitats and can impact severely upon socioeconomic and biological parameters. Babile Elephant Sanctuary (BES), which is located in the semi-arid part of eastern Ethiopia, is part of the Somali-Masai Centre of Endemism. It is established to protect the only surviving African elephant (Loxodonta africana) population in the Horn of Africa. The sanctuary has shrunk in size and deteriorated in quality in recent years, by the vegetation being harvested for fuel wood, construction and other purposes. Grazing, fire and deforestation have affected the distribution and conservation of elephant in the area. Recently, as a result of mass influx of a large number of farmers and their livestock from the east and north, the home range of elephants in BES has shrunk by an estimated 65.5% Moreover, in recent years 10,000 hectares of the north western part of BES was given to a private company engaged in the cultivation of castor used for production of fuel is being described as a calamity to the already declining elephant population and other wildlife. Of the total land granted to the company, 87.4% fell within the boundary of BES, and of this 79.2% was the present elephant ranges, movement corridors and regular feeding grounds. Recent socio-economic and land