The Asian Elephant ( Elephas maximus ) is one of the important megafaunas in protected areas of the Terai (lowland) region of Nepal. They often encounter humans and their livelihood-supporting activities in the proximity of forest boundary within the protected area. The human-elephant conflict has been one of the major issues in the human settlement close to the protected area, which has caused economic losses and poised a threat to human lives every year. The issue has obstructed sustainable management initiatives within the protected areas. The objective of the study is to analyze the cause of the human-elephant conflict in the Buffer Zone of Bardiya National Park and to assess people’s perception of this megafauna. The structured questionnaire survey was done in three municipalities within the Buffer Zone of Bardiya National Park. Besides, key informants’ interview was done to supplement the questionnaire survey. The result shows that 93% of the respondents have been a victim of elephant attacks in the past three years. Last year, on average, each household lost approximately NRs 9690 (USD 1 = NRs 132.72) worth of stored harvest due to the elephant attack. Most of the attack occurs during the season between July to September, followed by the season between October to December. It also indicates that the preference of elephants for crops is the primary cause of elephant attacks/raids in the study area. The second important cause of the elephant attack is insufficient food base which is followed by the expansion of agricultural fields towards the forest. Ninety percent of respondents react to the elephant attack by chasing them (using fire or noise). Fifty-one percent of respondents accept the human-elephant coexistence because of their biological and economic values. However, 40% of them reject the coexistence because of the threat posed by the elephant upon the local people and their livelihood. Human-elephant conflict hinders the management campaign and therefore has to be resolved through collaboration of the protected area, the local people and the administrative stakeholders. It is suggested that more study has to be made to acknowledge the pattern of residing as well as migrating elephants around forest boundaries and adjacent settlements.

亚洲象（ Elephas maximus ）是尼泊尔特莱（Terai）低地保护区重要的大型动物之一，它们经常在保护区森林边界 附近遇到人类及其生计支持活动。 人象冲突一直是保护区附近人类居住区的主要问题之一，每年都会造成经济损失，甚至威胁人 类的生命安全，这一问题阻碍了保护区的可持续管理。 本研究的目的是分析巴迪亚国家公园缓冲区人象冲突的原因，并评估人们 对这种大型动物的感知。 为此，在巴迪亚国家公园缓冲区内的三个市镇进行了结构化问卷调查。 此外，作为问卷调查的补充，还 对关键知情人士进行了访谈。 结果显示，93%的受访者在过去三年中曾遭遇大象的袭击。 由于大象袭击，去年每个家庭平均损失 了大约 9690 尼泊尔卢比。 大象的攻击行为大多数发生在 7 月至 9 月，其次是 10 月至 12 月。 这表明大象对作物的偏好是研究区 大象发起攻击/袭击行为的主要原因。 大象袭击的第二个重要原因是由于农田向森林的扩张而导致大象食物不足。 90%的受访者对 大象攻击的反应是驱赶它们（使用火或噪音）； 51%的受访者接受人象共存，他们认为大象具有生物学和经济价值； 然而，还有 41%的人拒绝与大象共存，因为大象对当地居民及其生计构成了威胁。 人象冲突已对保护区管理活动产生了负面影响，因此，必 须通过保护区、当地居民和行政利益相关者的合作来解决相关问题。 建议以后开展更多的研究，以了解大象在森林边界和邻近定 居点附近人们的居住和迁徙模式。