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Human Wildlife Conflict

Relevance

• GS Paper 3 Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment.
• Tags: #Human-AnimalConflict #WildlifeEncounters #MitigatingHuman-AnimalConflict #CoexistencewithWildlife #ManagingWildlifeConflicts #WildlifeSafetyTips #AnimalInteractionPrevention #ConflictResolutionwithWildlife #UrbanWildlifeChallenges #WildlifeConservationStrategies.

Why in the News?

Human-wildlife conflict — encounters between humans and wildlife — has been on the increase in the country over the past few years. Human-wildlife conflict is when encounters between humans and wildlife lead to negative results, such as loss of property, livelihoods, and even life. Defensive and retaliatory killing may eventually drive these species to extinction.

Status of human wildlife conflict

• India has among the highest reported rates of human wildlife conflict incidents, including human injury and death, livestock loss and crop damage.
• Between 2018-19 and 2020-21, 222 elephants were killed by electrocution across the country, 45 by trains, 29 by poachers and 11 by poisoning. Among tigers, too, 29 were killed by poaching between 2019 and 2021, while 197 tiger deaths are under scrutiny.
• Among human casualties of conflict with animals, elephants killed 1,579 humans in three years. Odisha accounted for the highest number of these deaths.
• Tigers killed 125 humans in reserves between 2019 and 2021. Maharashtra accounted for nearly half these deaths.

Causes of Human- Wildlife Conflicts

• Lack of Protected Areas: 35% of the tiger range in India is currently outside of a protected area.
• Urbanization: Diversion of forest areas for non- forest uses has led to reduction in habitat for wildlife.
• Transport Network: Growth of road and railway tracks in forest range has led to increased killing of wildlife due to accidents.
• Increasing human and livestock population: As more people move in close to the edges of protected areas, locals encroach on forest land for farming, gathering fodder, and other purposes and livestock populations rise daily, livestock farmers are forced to graze their animals illegally inside protected areas, where they often come in conflict with the wildlife and perish.
• Collection of Timber and Non-Timber Forest Produce: Movement in and out of forest areas often result in face off.
• Deforestation: For agricultural land expansion , the gathering of firewood, and the burning of grazing livestock to make charcoal.
• Growing wild animals’ favorite crops: Crops like sugarcane, maize, wheat, vegetables, guava, and others attract wild animals which then destroy the crops by raiding and eating them . As a result , farmers suffer significant losses every year.
• Other factors: Movement of animals to human habitation; habitat degradation due to growth of invasive alien species ; Climate change forces animals and humans to share ever more crowded spaces and to compete for diminishing resources etc.

Impact

1) Killing of animals by humans and vice versa for example Arimkoban(elephant) who killed many in Kerala.

2) Loss or damage of property: Often the raiding animal destroys crops like rice, wheat etc.

3) Social fears and loss of productive time: With fear of wild animals moving freely the villagers often venture less outside after sunset.

4) Violence against animals, poaching and other illegal activities: The fear of animals often results in hiring a person to kill the animals. The advantage is also taken by poachers which use public sentiments to do their illegal acts.

5) Biodiversity Loss: Human-Animal Conflict is one of the biggest risks to biodiversity, according to a report by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

6) Spread of Zoonotic disease: Due to interaction between Human and Animal certain zoonotic diseases like monkey fever and covid-19 can spread among humans.

7) Difficulties in conservation efforts: Locals lose interest in protection efforts as there is hardly any promise of their safety.

8) Social outrages/ Development issues: For example, a social media outrage was caused when a pregnant elephant died in Kerala after eating pineapples that had been loaded with firecrackers.

Methods to tackle Human Wildlife Conflict

The farmers have employed a variety of cutting-edge and conventional techniques to avoid conflict. The following are a few tactics:

• Fencing: Farmers’ fences can be nearly 100 percent effective at preventing conflict between people and wild animals if they are properly designed, built, and maintained. Newer techniques like Bio- Fencing are being used by Uttarakhand Forest Department.
• Guarding by humans and animals: Animals like dog can be trained to scare and alarm humans . Humans can be trained to deal with animals.
• Traditional Barrier: Plant barriers made from different spiky cactus.
• Translocation: A specified number of animals are translocated from troubled areas to different places.
• Compensation: Compensation for loss of life and property. For example use of Fasal Bima Yojana
• Natural Repellants: These are preferred over chemical protection measures. Elephant dung and other things that smolder can be burned by farmers to produce heavy smoldering , and another approach uses the chemical capsaicin to make chilli powder hot, effective at keeping elephants, monkeys, squirrels and other wild creatures away.

Government and Judicial Efforts 

1) In India, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) have developed a framework for strategic planning for Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) Mitigation Strategy. The framework consists of the following components:

• National Level HWC Management Plan: The plan includes a comprehensive assessment of the HWC situation in India, a description of the HWC management framework, and an action plan for addressing HWC issues.
• State-Level HWC Management Plans: The state plans should include a detailed assessment of the HWC situation, an analysis of the causes of HWC, and a set of actions to mitigate HWC.
• Habitat Improvement and Restoration: The government provides financial and technical support to restore and improve degraded habitats, which can reduce competition for resources and mitigate HWC.
• Human Behaviour Modification: The MoEF&CC encourages adopting practices that modify human behavior to reduce HWC. These practices include using deterrents like chili powder, solar lights, and noise-making devices and promoting community-based conservation efforts.
• Capacity Building and Awareness: The MoEF&CC provides training and capacity-building programs for forest officials, NGOs, and local communities to build their capacity to manage HWC. The government also promotes awareness campaigns to increase public knowledge about HWC issues and the importance of wildlife conservation.
• Conflict Resolution: The MoEF&CC supports the establishment of Conflict Resolution Committees (CRCs) at the village level to address HWC issues. These committees facilitate dialogue between local communities and forest officials to resolve conflicts and mitigate HWC.

2) Different legislation to protect Wildlife: Wildlife Protection Act, Project Tiger, Project Elephant.

3) Plan BEE by Northeast Frontier Railway to keep elephants away from railway tracks.

4) The Uttar Pradesh government has made the man-animal conflict a ‘State Declared Disaster’ bringing such incidents under the ambit of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to ensure better coordination and relief during such mishaps in the state.

5) Odisha forest department spreading seed balls as food for Elephants to keep them away from farmer areas.

6) A pilot project RE-HAB (Reducing Elephant-Human Attacks using Bees) has been launched in Karnataka which entails installing bee boxes along the periphery of the forest and the villages to mitigate human-elephant conflict.

7) Recently Supreme Court decision for marking 1km under the Eco Sensitive Zone.

8) Supreme Court decision of Right of Passage to Elephants in Nilgiri Elephant corridor and closure of resorts.

Way Forward

• Environmentalists and the government  try to be equally innovative, using both technology and the arts. Experiments include SMS alert systems, sensors, cameras, more eco-sensitive fencing and more.
• Sensitivity training for young people in conflict areas, a revival of cultural traditions and enabling livelihoods from eco-tourism can all help reinforce human-animal coexistence.
• There is much, much more that can be done through both philanthropic support and government partnerships.
• Effective planning and implementation of such measures requires consideration of good principles in community led-conservation (like Maldhari community and Asiatic Lions protection in Gir), in collaboration with the communities affected.

Source: The Mint, PIB MOEF Guidelines, Indian Express

Mains Question

There has been a recent trend of increasing Human Wildlife Conflict which threatens the existence of both. In light of the above statement, bring out causes for such incidents and provide government efforts to tackle it.