Indian elephant is endangered and has declined by least 50 per cent over the last 70 years. This is hardly any big news for many. Most may not even care when it comes to animal welfare.

However,this is not the case with cosmetic brand, The Body Shop. Partnering with World Land Trust (WLT) and its local partner Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), The Body Shop plans to create a corridor for endangered animals. The purpose of the project, in Garo Hills, Meghalaya, is to pledge help to protect the endangered Indian Elephant and Western Hoolock Gibbon. “Every consumer who shops in stores and online from today till end-November will contribute to the securing of 1.8 mn sq metres of forest corridor and protection of wildlife in Garo Hills.

We look forward to working on long term benefit for the region as well,” said Shriti Malhotra, COO, The Body Shop India. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) says Indian elephants have declined to 50 per cent over the last 70 years.

The same goes with Western Hoolock Gibbon, which has halved over the last 40 years. The principle reasons for their dwindling numbers are growing human population and habitat loss caused by urban development, unsustainable farming practices and hunting in several parts of northeastern India. “I am confident that the Biobridges campaign of the Body Shop will go a long way in helping WTI and WLT to protect the canopies, corridors and catchments of Garo Green Spine for enhancing the survival prospects of wildlife in the region and also to commend and celebrate the efforts of the local communities, who are at the forefront of conservation in the region,” said Sunil Kyarong, Joint Director and Head, Wild Lands, Wildlife Trust of India.

Garo Hills is one of the wettest regions in the world; the heavy rainfall is a major factor contributing to the exceptional biodiversity of the region. It supports around 1,000 elephants, connecting two treasure houses of biodiversity ~ the Nokrek and the Balphakram National Park. These elephant corridors are millions of year-old patch, where elephants have walked back and forth. However, ever since human beings have started intervening in these areas, all the problems started, including human-animal conflicts.

The Garo Hills are dominated by tribal populations, who, for every need are dependent on the forest area. Therefore, jhumming (a traditional form of slash and burn farming) is quite rampant among tribals. “Currently WTI is working with local communities to encourage them to designate the area as Village Reserve Forest (VRF) and help create alternative economic opportunities to jhumming, which is the biggest threat to the elephant corridors,”informed Sunil Kyarong. The Body Shop globally aims to raise 140,000 pounds for this project and regenerate 75 million square metres of habitat.

Once the bio-bridges are restored it will help the habitat fragmentation by protecting and regenerating corridors between healthy forests, linking isolated and endangered animals and plant species. This allows animals to travel more widely in search of mates and helps them thrive.

“I extend my full support towards the Bio Bridges Project and am delighted to be associated with such a socially responsible brand. I request you all to join hands with The Body Shop and help protect these endangered species,” said Jacqueline Fernandez, actor and brand Ambassador of The Body Shop. This is not the first time the company is protecting Bio-Bridges.

It has already worked on and protected more than 17.2 million square metres of habitat in Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia