March 13, Thai Elephant Day True Corporation introduces TSEWS solution to reduce conflict, connect elephants and humans to sustainable coexistence in the digital age.
"elephant" It is a wild animal that has long been connected to the Thai way of life and history. It is a symbol of the king's power, a vehicle for battle, and a power source that plays an important role in working with Thai people in both transport and towing from the past until the present before machinery took over. Because of this great importance, March 13 of every year has been designated as "Thai Elephant Day" to commemorate the contributions of elephants, which are considered the national animal of Thailand.
Currently, Thailand has approximately 4,000 wild elephants, spread across 91 conservation areas throughout the country. Elephants are protected wildlife that have long been associated with Thai people. Although the number of wild elephants has a tendency to increase, which is a good thing, at the same time, the forest areas that are elephants' homes have decreased in size due to the expansion of agricultural areas and communities that have increased along with the human population. This has resulted in overlapping habitats between humans and elephants.
As forest areas shrink, elephants are forced to forage in agricultural and community areas, leading to human-elephant conflicts (HEC), a global problem in countries with wild elephants. The conflicts lead to losses on both sides, including destroyed crops, damaged property, and in some cases, injuries or deaths of both humans and elephants. Statistics from across Thailand from 2555-2567 show that 227 people died from clashes with wild elephants, and more than 1.5 households were affected, while a significant number of elephants were injured or killed by people trying to protect their crops and property.
In the past, resolving human-elephant conflicts was often done in a traditional way, such as digging ditches to keep elephants out, installing low-voltage electric fences, sending volunteers to keep watch, or planting plants that elephants don’t like as a buffer zone. However, these methods have limitations in terms of efficiency, cost, and sustainability. Sometimes, elephant barriers or fences cannot stop hungry elephants, while taking turns keeping watch is a burden for villagers who have to earn a living during the day and rest at night.
But in the digital age, innovation has occurred when modern technologies such as 5G, AI and IoT have come to play a role in developing solutions to this long-standing problem. True Corporation, Thailand's leading telecommunications and technology company and the world's number 1 company in sustainability with the highest DJSI 2024 score in the telecommunications industry for 7 consecutive years, has joined hands with the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Thailand to design and develop an intelligent early warning system called "True Smart Early Warning System" or TSEWS for the first time.
This TSEWS system is not just any technology, but an innovation from Tech For Good for a sustainable society that has been analyzed by Insights by combining several innovations, including 5G and 4G networks that provide connectivity even in remote areas, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) that can analyze images and identify elephants accurately.
Motion sensors and smart cameras (Camera Trap) that work on IoT concept technology, real-time alert systems that send information to the officers' war room, and a cloud system that stores and processes massive amounts of data to analyze elephant behavior.
In the area of Kui Buri National Park, Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, there are currently around 400 wild elephants living in a community of more than 2 people, almost 4 households, reflecting the challenges of coexistence between humans and large wild animals. This area used to be an area with a high history of human-elephant conflict, as it is surrounded by pineapple plantations and crops that elephants love.
Statistics show that the number of elephant intrusions has increased significantly, from 255 in 2560 to 992 in 2567. What is interesting, however, is that the damage has significantly decreased, from 190 in 2560 and a peak of 226 in 2561, to just three in 3, the first year the True Smart Early Warning System (TSEWS) solution was installed, and as of 2562, there have been no reports of damage at all.
The success of the pilot project, which began in 2562, is an example of a highly effective solution to Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC). Although the number of elephants has increased from 300 at the start of the project to around 400 today, and elephant encounters have almost quadrupled in frequency, thanks to the TSEWS Intelligent Early Warning System, communities and elephants can coexist safely and sustainably.
“In the past, we had to be on guard all the time, not knowing when the elephants would come or where.” Rommook Phiachan Senior Leader, Project Development, Sustainable Development, True Corporation Plc., said, “Now we can know immediately from the TSEWS solution, which gives us time to prepare because the system will warn us in advance when elephants encroach outside the forest area into the community. Therefore, we can take action to push elephants back into the forest before there is a loss.”
From the unexpected success True Corporation Therefore, the TSEWS project has been extended to other areas with HEC problems, including forest areas in the five eastern provinces under the Elephant Conservation Project, which covers five provinces: Chachoengsao, Chanthaburi, Rayong, Chonburi, and Sa Kaeo.
Each area has different challenges, including topography, community characteristics, and wild elephant behavior. True Corporation has therefore adjusted the TSEWS system to be appropriate for each area.
With continuous development of both hardware and software, in the forest area connecting 5 provinces, AI has been integrated into the solution for collecting the identity data of each elephant to analyze and distinguish elephants from specific characteristics such as the shape of the ears or tail, and can identify elephants with a history of frequent crop destruction, allowing officials to keep special watch.
Pearl He continued with pride: “Communication technology not only connects people, but also creates a balance between humans, wildlife and nature. Our TSEWS system helps communities and wild elephants live in harmony, reducing the global challenge of Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC). We bring innovation to create a better quality of life for both communities and wild elephants, leading to sustainable solutions and friendly coexistence.”
True Corporation's commitment to developing the TSEWS system does not stop there. The system can analyze trends in elephant movement and routes and provide advance warnings. In addition to helping detect elephant encroachment, it can also collect data on elephant behavior and movement for research and conservation purposes.
Certainly, although the challenges of coexistence between humans and elephants still remain, with the cooperation of True Corporation, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, and WWF-Thailand, who are committed to continuing this mission, the image of conflict will gradually fade away, replaced by the long-lasting bond between Thai people and wild elephants, so that Thai descendants can continue the pride in the national animal that is one of the symbols of the greatness of the Thai nation forever.
