ABSTRACT
Nature conservation is a growing global priority, with protected areas (PAs) being the backbone of the modern conservation movement, where 'natural habitats' are protected from people. India's growth in the PA network has been similar to the global trajectory. Almost any discussion around human–elephant coexistence has to start with the question of PAs; the role they are going to play in wildlife conservation in India in the years to come and human use of these landscapes. The chapter aims to delve into a range of nuances around the issue people and elephants sharing space, and possibly challenge some of the dominant ideas about Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) being inevitable and that it 'occurs wherever these two species coincide'. Elephants in particular, in a crowded country like India, pose a significant challenge of ‘HEC'. Various groups and individuals strongly advocate one approach over another, but the primary quest to find a universal solution to the HEC problem continues.
