Centre, States working to curb rising human-animal conflicts, says Union Minister

Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh on Wednesday said the Centre, in collaboration with State governments, was implementing a series of measures to reduce the number of human-animal conflicts and expressed hope that the issue could be resolved soon.

He said the population of wild animals, especially endangered species, was going up in India, thanks to conservation efforts undertaken by the Environment Ministry.

At the same time, the country was also witnessing a situation where wild animals were venturing out of forest areas or local people are entering forest buffer zones, the Minister said, adding that such conflicts were on the rise.

“We are taking this situation very seriously. We are introducing measures to counter it,” he said, adding that the steps were being implemented in collaboration with State governments.

Mr. Singh was in Kalpetta to inaugurate the Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK).

He said steps had been taken to create awareness among locals about animal behaviour and the protective measures they could adopt.

Radio collaring and other tracking methods were being used to monitor such animals, and physical barriers like fencing and trenches were being installed in areas with frequent instances of human-animal conflict. The Minister said food scarcity could be a reason for wild animals to stray into inhabited areas.

The overgrowth of invasive species suppresses the growth of native plants and grasses in forests, leaving animals like deer and elephants without food, he said. Mr. Singh added that the Forest authorities were working to eradicate such invasive species but noted that it might take time.

“It is a long process and requires sustained effort,” he said, adding that the Forest Ministry, in collaboration with State Forest departments, was implementing a series of steps to address the challenges.

He said compensation was also provided to the families of those who lost their lives in human-animal conflicts.