Notes from an Environmentalist
Indian elephant made from invasive Lantana plants.
Thanks to Lysa Leland for futher info on lantana plants.
The elephants are made from lantana camara, one of the world’s top invasive weeds a most successful invader in India. This fast growing, noxious shrub has a stranglehold on 300,000sq. kilometers of India’s Protected Areas. For wildlife, it is a silent menace. Lantana has entangled 40% of tiger reserves and diminished food sources for herbivores.Lantana pushes animals out of their forest homes into urban areas leading to an increase in human-wildlife conflict. The use of lantana to create the elephants helps remove the weed from protected areas, leaving wildlife more space to roam.
Invasive species pose a serious threat to global biodiversity and are a significant driver in 60% of plant and animal extinctions. Funds raised power the large-scale removal of lantana from India’s forests, freeing up more space for wildlife. So far, 100 hectares have been cleared between 3 protected areas in South India. Our target is 300 hectares by 2026.
Each elephant has been created by The Coexistence Collective, a community of 200 indigenous artisans from the Bettakurumba, Paniya, Kattunayakan and Soliga communities of India’s Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, Tamil Nadu. The collective has spent the past five years beautifully bringing to life every elephant they live alongside, in intricately detailed sculptural form. Like many indigenous cultures around the world, these communities have intimate knowledge of nature and wildlife, based on generations of observation and experience.
The delivery of The Great Elephant Migration is carbon neutral. It supports a large-scale initiative to shred vast areas of invasive Lantana, the weed the elephants are made with, from India’s Protected Areas and convert it into biochar. By the end of 2025, we will have sequestered 2,625 tons of carbon through this effort. The total estimated carbon emissions for the creation, shipping and transportation of the herd is in the region of 275 tons. A complete carbon emission and sequestration audit will be published at the end of the migration.
The herd is here to tell their story of coexistence; that there is room for all of us on this planet. We hope this exhibition reminds us of the awe we feel when in the company of wild, free animals and inspires us to better share our world with them.
For thousands of years, indigenous communities have been guardians of the environment. Although they are only around 6% of the global population, they protect 80% of the biodiversity left on earth.
The creation of the elephant sculptures provides financial stability, status and pride to 200 members of the Soligas, Bettakurumbas, Kattunayakan and Paniyas tribes, who coexist with the real wild elephants the herd is based on.
Already over $500,000 has been generated, making it the biggest sustainable indigenous enterprise in India. This effort celebrates indigenous knowledge and rewards their ability to coexist.
Elephant families are matriarchal with each herd led by an older, experienced female. A family usually consists of a mother, her sisters, daughters, and their babies. Good matriarch decisions balance the needs of the group, avoiding unnecessary travel while remembering when and where good resources are available. The women supporting The Great Elephant Migration do just that. Made up of influential women across diverse fields, including environmentalists, philanthropists, writers and creatives, The Matriarchy will rally support for human-wildlife coexistence.
Following installations on the East Coast, we invite wild spirits and adventurers to join The Matriarchy in leading the final leg of The Great Elephant Migration by electric truck to the finishing line of Los Angeles in late June 2025.
The Great Elephant Migration supports remarkable people around the world who have found ways to live alongside lions, leopards, elephants, and some of the planet’s most challenging animals, in their back yards. The exhibit encourages conservation strategies to incorporate indigenous knowledge and evolve to be community led. Our partners, Coexistence Consortium, Indigenous Led, and Lion Guardians exemplify this in their work. Each elephant is twinned with a conservation NGO operating in the USA and beyond, which will directly benefit from the proceeds of the elephant sculpture sales.