STORY: Villagers in China's Yunnan seeking coexistence with elephants
DATELINE: Aug. 13, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:08
LOCATION: KUNMING, China
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT
 
SHOTLIST:
1. various of Asian elephants
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): LI XIAOMEI, Villager in Jiangcheng County, Yunnan Province
3. various of crops
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): YANG YONG, Staffer with local forestry and grassland bureau
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): GUO XINGXIANG, Asian elephant monitor, Jiangcheng County, Yunnan Province
 
STORYLINE:
 
Asian elephants, a pivotal species in the rainforest ecosystem, are under first-class national protection in China. They are mostly found across Yunnan.

Near a village in Pu'er City, eight Asian elephants walked out of the mountains and came to a corn field to forage.

August is the mature season for local crops such as rice and corn, which are both favorite foods for Asian elephants.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): LI XIAOMEI, Villager in Jiangcheng County, Yunnan Province
"My family planted 15 mu (1 hectare) of corn last year, and elephants ate more than 4 to 5 mu of it. The compensation standard was over 600 yuan (about 83 U.S. dollars) per mu last year, which is enough for us."

In 2010, Yunnan became the first provincial-level region in China to introduce commercial insurance for the damage caused by wildlife, with the entire province coming under insurance coverage by 2014.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): YANG YONG, Staffer with local forestry and grassland bureau
"The compensation standards have been continuously improving. For example, the compensation for rice increased from 810 yuan per mu last year to 1,538 yuan this year, and for corn, from 690 yuan last year to 1,017 yuan this year. The compensation for other cash crops has also been increased."

To mitigate the potential impact of Asian elephant activities on local villagers, the local government has employed monitors to oversee and track the movements of the elephants.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): GUO XINGXIANG, Asian elephant monitor, Jiangcheng County, Yunnan Province
"We get up at 6:30 a.m. every day. Then we go and locate the elephants, and notify villagers of the elephants' positions via WeChat groups, advising villagers to avoid venturing into these areas."

While Asian elephants are experiencing a global decline in population, the situation has taken a positive turn in China.
 
Thanks to protection efforts over the past decades, the population of the endangered species in China has grown from 150 in the 1980s to 360 at present.
 
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Kunming, China.
(XHTV)