Elephants and Fences

While many of us are familiar with human-wildlife interactions and perhaps encourage coexistence in theory; how would we really act if we had an elephant in our neighbourhood?

Over the past few years, we’ve been creating a board game centred on the theme of elephant corridors and human-wildlife interactions. We have been play-testing and building on components whenever the chance arose–at work, in our homes and in more structured forums.

The game was first conceptualised in 2016 by Shashank Srinivasan during his time as a field biologist in Assam, with the aim to emulate human-elephant conflict. In 2019, TfW colleagues Shashank and Nandini Mehrotra, worked with Tejaswini N to create the design and components of the game. The game was play-tested with friends and family in February and March 2020, before the pandemic curtailed any future development.

In 2022, TfW team member Nancy Alice worked with Ashwathy S to produce the boardgame prototype with inputs from Shashank Srinivasan. They also conducted online trials using Figma over a two-week period, engaging with various conservation enthusiasts to explore multiple instances of gameplay. In August 2022, we hosted a public play-test of the board-game as a part of ATREE 25, recording inputs and reviews by the participants. Read more about the play-test here.

Approach

The boardgame invites players to immerse themselves in the complexities of human-wildlife conflict, particularly focusing on the challenges posed by human-elephant interactions in India. Players step into the shoes of local villagers, navigating difficult decisions to protect their farms and manage resources. As elephants move across the board, sometimes creating conflicts, players must work together or devise individual strategies to balance the needs of their community with the welfare of wildlife. Through these role-playing elements, the game encourages empathy for both sides—human and animal.

The game mirrors real-world conservation issues, such as disrupted migration routes, and the pressures of anthropogenic expansion into wildlife habitats. It educates players on the ecological and social aspects of these interactions while prompting reflection on sustainable solutions. By emulating these scenarios spatially, players experience the tension of managing resources while respecting the needs of endangered wildlife.

The game also serves as a tool for establishing dialogue, raising awareness about wildlife conservation, and fostering discussions around sustainable coexistence. We would love to explore how it can be adapted further, to be used in educational settings, conservation efforts, or as a public engagement tool. If you work on board games or are familiar with elephants, reach out to us <contact@techforwildlife.com>. We would love to explore new ‘corridors’ to take this forward!

Project Team

Shashank Srinivasan, Nancy Alice, Ashwathy S, Tejaswini N and Nandini Mehrotra.