THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In the wake of an increasing number of human-wildlife conflicts being reported from both the states, Kerala and Karnataka signed an agreement on Sunday to tackle the menace jointly.
As per the agreement, Kerala and Karnataka will jointly map areas prone to wildlife attacks, examine the reasons, avoid delay in tackling the issue and ensure speedy exchange of information between the two sides.
The agreement was reached at the a meeting of the forest ministers of both states at Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka. The meeting was also attended by senior forest officials from Tamil Nadu.
During the meeting, attended by Kerala Forest Minister A K Saseendran and his Karnataka counterpart Eshwar Khandre, a joint Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for managing man-animal conflict was adopted. An interstate coordination committee charter was also unveiled during the meeting that marked a commitment for collaborative efforts in conflict mitigation in affected areas.
During discussions, Saseendran stressed the need for amendments to the ‘outdated’ provisions in the Wildlife (Protection) Act to effectively deal with wildlife attacks. “It is high time that the Wildlife Act of 1972 is amended in a timely manner. The social realities have drastically changed compared to 50 years ago when the legislation was enacted,” Saseendran told the meeting.
The meeting focused on the Nilgiri Biosphere reserve covering Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and highlighted the need for joint efforts in estimating the population of elephants and vultures. Discussions also centred on sharing the best practices in forest and wildlife conservation among the states.
Addressing challenges such as invasive weeds and exploring collaboration in employment generation were also discussed.
Management strategy
Highlights of the Interstate Coordination Committee Charter
Recognising shared habitats and responsibility to conserve forests amid expanding human settlements
Commitment to seamless collaboration, structured intelligence sharing and joint operations
Exchange of critical resources, expertise and knowledge
Synchronised population estimation and coordinated operations
Advisory board comprising experts to resolve conflict