Human-Elephant Relationships in Southeast Asia Symposium

The Implications of Historical and Scientific Knowledge for Coexistence and Conservation

Date and Time: Wednesday, May 6, 2026 from 08:00AM to 05:00PM EST

Location: CUNY Graduate Center, Skylight Room 9100

Admission: Free & Open to the public

This symposium will bring together researchers, conservationists, and students from across disciplines—including history, anthropology, conservation biology, and psychology—to explore new interdisciplinary approaches to promoting coexistence between humans and the endangered Asian elephant. 

Experts on historical and cultural perspectives of human–elephant relationships, elephant biology and psychology, elephants in tourism and transportation, and human–elephant conflict will examine the future of human–elephant coexistence through a series of presentations and discussions at the CUNY Graduate Center.

The goal is to develop a framework for continued collaboration, including a proposal for a future symposium to be held at the 2nd International Conference on Human–Wildlife Conflict and Coexistence (organized by the IUCN SSC HWCC Specialist Group, in Bangkok, Thailand, planned for March 2027).

Breakfast available from 08:00AM, talks begin at 09:00AM. Lunch will be provided for registered attendees.