COIMBATORE: Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on Friday urged forest departments across the country to take proactive preventive measures to manage human-wildlife conflict and reduce damage to human settlements and crops.
Speaking at the National Workshop on Human-Wildlife Conflict at the Central Academy for State Forest Service (CASFOS) in the city, Yadav said proactive measures to manage human-wildlife conflict must be undertaken by addressing issues in a coordinated manner with local communities. “Innovative best practices must be evolved and implemented widely on the ground by using the latest technologies in wildlife conservation. Coexistence and harmony, instead of conflict, should be the mantra of ecological sustainability,” he said. The minister observed that human-wildlife conflict has emerged as one of India’s foremost conservation and development challenges due to increasing interactions between people and wildlife resulting from habitat fragmentation, changing land-use patterns and expanding human activities. He also inaugurated the Centre of Excellence (CoE) on Human-Wildlife Conflict. Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh said there is a need to find long-term solutions by balancing wildlife conservation with the country’s socio-economic progress.
The minister also launched the National Human-Wildlife Conflict Portal, and the first edition of the publication Current Status of Human-Wildlife Conflict in India: An Overview.