Final answer:
Over 20 years of war can lead to increased poaching and habitat destruction, which impacts the population of tuskless elephants. War disrupts conservation efforts and can cause a selective pressure for tusklessness as a survival trait. Interventions like relocation and contraception are complex and ethically debated solutions to manage elephant populations.
Step-by-step explanation:
The effects of 20 years of war on the tuskless elephants population is a complex issue that involves both conservation biology and the impacts of human activities. In regions affected by prolonged conflict, the breakdown of law and order may lead to increased poaching, as seen with the ivory trade. This not only directly reduces elephant numbers but also selectively pressures elephants with tusks, potentially leading to a higher prevalence of tuskless elephants as a survival trait—elephants with tusks are more likely to be killed for their ivory compared to tuskless ones.
Conflicts can also disrupt conservation efforts and habitat protection, leading to habitat loss or degradation, while simultaneously making it difficult to carry out anti-poaching operations. Conversely, in some cases, human conflict areas can become unintended wildlife refuges if people vacate the area, although this is rarely sustainable in the long term. Moreover, increased human-elephant conflicts may arise due to elephants venturing into human settlements or farm lands, often due to habitat loss, potentially leading to defensive killing of these animals, further impacting their populations.
It is important to note that targeted interventions like relocation and contraception can be alternatives to culling for managing elephant overpopulation. However, the options for relocation are limited, and contraception is a challenging and expensive procedure. The ethical and economic considerations surrounding these interventions are heavily debated amongst conservationists, local communities, and animal rights groups.