New Delhi- The issue of increasing danger to human life and property due to wild animals has drawn attention in Parliament, prompting a detailed response from the Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Kirti Vardhan Singh. In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, he highlighted both legal provisions and practical measures being taken to address this growing concern.
Section 11 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, empowers the Chief Wildlife Warden of a state to manage conflicts between humans and wild animals. The Ministry has urged the Kerala government to make use of these provisions in its own conflict management strategies.
To protect wildlife and reduce the risk of conflict with humans, the government has developed an extensive network of protected areas including national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, conservation reserves, and community reserves across the country. These areas aim to safeguard habitats while limiting human-animal encounters.
Additionally, the central government supports state and union territory administrations through centrally sponsored schemes such as the ‘Development of Wildlife Habitats’, ‘Project Tiger’, and ‘Project Elephant’. These programs include building preventive structures like solar-powered electric fencing, bio-fencing, and boundary walls to keep wild animals from straying into farmland and human settlements.
In February 2021, the Ministry issued an advisory to better manage human-wildlife conflict. This advisory promotes inter-departmental coordination, identification of conflict-prone zones, deployment of rapid response teams, and the creation of committees at both state and district levels to review compensation for losses and ensure timely ex-gratia payments.
Further strengthening the framework, the Ministry issued comprehensive guidelines on June 3, 2022, to help states and union territories tackle such conflicts more effectively, particularly in relation to crop damage. On March 21, 2023, species-specific guidelines were also released to tailor responses according to the behavior of different wild animals.
These multi-layered efforts reflect the government’s commitment to finding a balance between wildlife conservation and the safety of human communities, especially in regions where animal incursions are frequent and sometimes deadly.
