Saving Odisha Elephants from Human-Induced Fires​​​​​

Summary

Odisha's forests that elephants call home, are fighting for survival. More than 94,000 hectares have burned in the past decade, and nearly 1,000 elephants have died in just 11 years. Yet tribal families depend on the fallen Mahua flower, a vital source of food, medicine, and income. Our innovative Mahua nets will help them collect more flowers without burning forests, preventing wildfires, protecting elephant habitat, and creating sustainable livelihoods for communities. A true win-win for all.

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Challenge

Every spring, Mahua flowers carpet the forests and villages of Odisha. For tribal families, these blossoms are a lifeline-providing food, medicine, and critical seasonal income. To make collection easier, the ground beneath Mahua trees is cleared and burned. What begins as an act of survival quickly becomes a tragedy. Wildfires consume elephant habitat, destroy biodiversity, and leave ancient forests scarred. More than 94,000 hectares have burned and 1,000 elephants died in the past decade.

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Solution

Our innovative Mahua Net System helps tribals collect more flowers without lighting fire. Installed around individual Mahua trees, the nets catch blossoms as they fall, making harvesting faster, cleaner, and productive. Nets are localized beneath the tree canopy, without obstructing elephant movement. Tribal people can harvest high-quality flowers, increase their income, eliminate the need for burning. Every net protects livelihoods, helping safeguard the forests that elephants need to survive.

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Long-Term Impact

A future where no forest burns so human and elephant families can thrive. As Mahua nets spread across Odisha, tribal people can earn sustainable incomes while protecting the forests that nourish their communities and shelter elephants. Wildfires decline, biodiversity rebounds, and critical habitat remains intact. Every net becomes a promise: children inherit living forests, and elephants continue to roam free for generations to come, sharing a safer, more hopeful future together.