THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Close on the heels of the Centre rejecting its request to bring amendments to the Wildlife Protection Act, the state has again approached the Union Ministry with the same demand.
In a letter to the ministry, Forest Minister A K Saseendran pointed out loopholes in the Centre’s stance that the chief wildlife warden has powers to effectively deal with human-wildlife conflict. The minister urged the Centre to declare wild boars as vermin — at least in villages identified as conflict hotspots — for a period of six months.
Saseendran, in his letter to Union Minister for Environment and Forests Bhupender Yadav, pointed out that the chief wildlife warden has only limited powers to act swiftly in critical situations involving human-wildlife conflicts.
“Chief wildlife warden is empowered first to capture, tranquilise or translocate a dangerous animal. If these options are not feasible, then only the chief wildlife warden may permit killing of the identified wild animal listed in Schedule I of the Act. These procedural constraints have limited the warden’s ability to act swiftly in critical situations,” he said.
Despite the state adhering to all relevant advisories and guidelines issued by the Centre, human-wildlife conflicts continue to escalate in Kerala. The current framework often delays timely action, thereby limiting the state’s ability to effectively mitigate conflicts and protect human lives and livelihoods, said the minister.
The state further pointed out that the act does not provide a clear definition of ‘dangerous animal.’ “It would be highly beneficial if the Centre could consider amending the Act and Rules as well as simplify the standard operating procedures for eliminating dangerous animals,” said Saseendran.
Raising the demand once again to declare wild boars as vermin, the state pointed out that such a declaration should be made in villages identified as hotspots. If such a declaration is made at least for a short period of six months, it would not only facilitate site-specific management of the species but also significantly contribute to mitigating human-wildlife conflicts.
The minister also demanded funds to the tune of `620 crore for various projects for preventive measures. The Centre has not yet considered the state’s demand for special assistance. This has hindered our efforts, he said.