- Kerala has declared human-wildlife battle a state-specific catastrophe, with compensation mechanisms, draft laws, and a number of forest division missions underway.
- Consultants spotlight habitat degradation, improvement pressures, local weather change, and poor waste administration as key drivers of escalating conflicts.
- They stress the necessity for context-specific approaches and a long-term technique that requires behavioural change, ecosystem restoration, and higher interdepartmental coordination.
On August 31, the south Indian state of Kerala launched an intensive 45-day mission to deal with the growing detrimental interactions between folks and wildlife. In a Fb publish on the identical day, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan knowledgeable the general public that round 400 panchayats have been reporting such incidents, with the scenario being notably extreme in 273 panchayats.
Earlier this 12 months, Union Surroundings and Forest Minister Bhupendra Yadav knowledgeable the Rajya Sabha that an estimated 344 folks had misplaced their lives in numerous human-wildlife battle (HWC) incidents throughout the state between 2021 and 2025. Of those, 180 deaths have been as a result of snakebites, 103 have been attributed to elephants, 35 to wild pigs, and 4 to tigers.
A research by the Wildlife Division of the Agriculture College for the State Planning Board discovered that 87% of detrimental interactions in Kerala have been brought on by elephants, wild boars, and monkeys. The research additional highlighted that 64% of those conflicts occurred particularly within the Wayanad area.
State-specific catastrophe
In February this 12 months, the Kerala authorities declared human-wildlife battle a state-specific catastrophe to expedite support and reduction, together with ex-gratia funds to victims or their subsequent of kin in case of fatalities. A draft laws is being ready to deal with the difficulty, although considerations stay over the absence of a complete technique. In July 2025, the federal government issued an order to offer compensation for wildlife-related losses via each the state catastrophe fund and the forest division’s fund.
The forest division has additionally launched a number of mitigation measures, together with 10 missions initiated in February. These cowl numerous facets together with meals, fodder and water administration, integration of tribal data, photo voltaic fencing, wild pig management, and SARPA — a mission specializing in reptile conservation whereas guaranteeing human security.
Consultants word, nevertheless, that there is no such thing as a single resolution to human wildlife battle; every case requires a context-specific strategy based mostly on location and species. Writing in Aranyam, the forest division’s journal, chief wildlife warden and managing editor Pramod G. Krishnan identifies key drivers of battle: habitat degradation, unscientific improvement, obstacles to animal motion, local weather change, waste dumping, forest fires, and unregulated tourism in forest areas, amongst others.
“Human wildlife battle will not be restricted to giant animals corresponding to elephants and tigers. It additionally includes smaller species like monkeys, wild pigs, peacocks, and even cormorants,” says Renjan Mathew Varghese, State Director of the World Vast Fund for Nature (WWF). “No single resolution suits all. Particular research and interventions are wanted.”
He recommends a complete survey of main wildlife populations throughout the state together with an evaluation of forest carrying capability. “In depth case-specific research and documentation of human wildlife battle are important for modern mitigation,” he provides. Among the many options he lists are: offering fast reduction and compensation to forestall retaliatory killings; adopting scientific inhabitants management measures the place obligatory; elevating consciousness amongst native communities; sensitising the media for accountable reporting; eradicating invasives; enhancing forest ecosystem well being; and guaranteeing meals and water availability for wildlife.
As a part of its mitigation technique, the forest division has divided the state into 12 human-animal battle landscapes based mostly on battle patterns. Inside these, 273 panchayats have been designated as battle zones, and round 30 as potential battle areas. Some forest division officers say that declaring human wildlife battle a state-specific catastrophe has improved interdepartmental coordination and simplified the disbursal of funds.
Multi-pronged options
Bodily obstacles corresponding to elephant-proof trenches and solar-powered electrical fences are probably the most extensively used strategies in Kerala to maintain giant mammals out of farmland and residential areas. Whereas these strategies have been efficient in proscribing animal motion and lowering crop harm, they arrive with inherent challenges, notes Jose Louies, CEO of the Wildlife Belief of India. He factors out that early warning methods might assist, however stresses that any such measure requires common upkeep and fixed vigilance. An article titled Human-Wildlife Conflicts: an Overview in Aranyam by P.O. Nameer, Professor of Wildlife Research at Kerala Agricultural College, echoes these considerations.
Farmer and unbiased researcher Dileep Kumar, who works on wildlife battle, agroecology, local weather change and sustainable dwelling, argues that bamboo fencing is extra sensible and cost-effective. “Fencing utilizing digital supplies will not be a good suggestion, as weathering damages it, and so does photo voltaic fencing. Trenching additionally proved impractical as elephants destroyed them through the rains, and the forest division constructed black stone partitions, that are resource-intensive,” he says. Kumar advocates biofencing with Indian thorny bamboo, which he believes can stay efficient for as much as 50 years.
Citing the crash guard fencing mission within the Chedalath vary of South Wayanad — introduced a number of years in the past to scale back elephant encounters — he criticises its sluggish progress, regardless of two deadline extensions. “These tasks are mere ‘technical fixes’ carried out with out correct research of feasibility or viability,” he says.
Highlighting the broader challenges of battle mitigation, Louies warns towards politicising the difficulty, describing it as layered and complicated. Along with technology-enabled early warning methods to forestall surprising accidents, he requires stronger bodily obstacles and behavioural change amongst folks as potential options.
Learn extra: Consultants conflicted over the laborious choice to delicate launch downside jumbos
Banner picture: Elephants emerge from the forest in Wayanad. Picture by M.Okay. Ramdas.
