Environment

Expansion of oil palm in northeast India that encroaches on forest land to fulfill the goals of the Indian government under its National Mission on Edible Oils- oil palm (NMEO-OP) might lead to a lot of negative encounters with elephants in northeast India, warn experts.

·        Goalpara is considered to be one of the worst affected districts for human-elephant conflict in Assam.

·        Apart from being a hotspot for human-elephant conflicts, Goalpara is also a pioneer in oil palm cultivation in Assam.

·        The primary oil palm plantation in the state was set up in Khungkhrajani village, around six kilometer from Dudhnoi city, back in 2015.

·        Over the years, several monoculture plantations, together with rubber, banana, tea, and edible seed, have sprung up in Goalpara.

·        According to the recent India State of Forest Report (ISFR), 2021, Goalpara has only 22.18% of its geographical area under forest cover, which is one of the lowest in the state.

·        Also, only 13.73 square km of the district falls under the Very Dense Forest (tree canopy of 70% or more) category.

·        The Assam government has plans to start out oil palm cultivation in seventeen districts, together with heavily forested ones like KarbiAnglong and Dima Hasao.