BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said under the Aranya Samarasya Project, the government is focusing on measures to ensure there are zero cases of conflict, and human and animal deaths. For this, there is a need to improve the habitats and find the solutions to mitigate conflict.
He was speaking at the inauguration of the day-long International Conference on Human-Elephant Conflict Mitigation 2024, organised by the Karnataka forest department in Bengaluru as a part of World Elephant Day.
The CM said, in the last 10 years there have been 2500 cases of human-elephant conflict and 350 human deaths. The state government created nine elephant task forces and in one year 1200 conflict cases were reported to the task forces. He said conflicts are not just limited to Karnataka but is to the entire country. He further said that Rs 150 crore was set aside and given for conflict mitigation, a similar amount will again be released soon.
He highlighted that creating rail barricades has shown success in controlling the movement of elephants and that Karnataka was the only state that was effectively implementing it since 2015-16. However, he knows that a lot more needs to be done.
Also present on the occasion, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar directed the Karnataka forest department officials to have a humane approach towards farmers and not to harass them.
At the conference, chaired by forest department officials from the non-NDA states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Jharkhand and Karnataka and international delegates, Shivakumar said, his constituency, Kanakapura, has been facing maximum cases of conflict. Last year there was 18 deaths. He also pointed out that he has seen a herd of 50 elephants moving near is home in Kanakapura, en route Bannerghatta-Mekedattu-Kerala.
During this meeting, it was decided that while Karnataka will prepare a memorandum and a charter of the problems to mitigate conflict, the Kerala forest minister will lead the delegation to the union government seeking funds and assistance.
Kerala forest minister AK Saseendran said, “I will get an appointment with the central government and we will take a memorandum to them asking for release of funds for conflict mitigation.”
Seconding his opinion, Karnataka forest, environment and ecology department minister Eshwar B Khandre, said CAMPA funds belong to the states, but the centre is not releasing it. The central government should also give financial assistance for farmers’ crop loss. CAMPA funds are needed for creating rail barricades.
Khandre also highlighted the need for all southern states to work together and create a charter for all to follow. He highlighted the need for sharing data on elephant movement and tracking. Heads of herds and mischievous elephants should be radio-collared, and the cost and data be shared with all states to track elephants.
The charter also included that to ensure compensation is at par, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bhima Yojana is available for crop losses caused by elephants and other wild animals, the Government of India may be requested to contribute the central share in premium of the portion of crop insurance covering damage by wild animals.
The ministers in the meeting also agreed to include in the charter and suggest to the ministry to amend the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, where it needs to shift from tiger-centric and focus on project elephant areas.
As per the latest elephant census report done in the southern state Nilgiri biosphere, Karnataka houses 4126 elephants. As per the report the largest elephant population was recorded in Bandipur at 1042 and the lowest was in Virajpet 23. No elephant population was recorded in the Kolar division.
This is apart from the all state elephant estimation exercise which was done in 2023 of all southern states. As per the 2023 report, the state as a whole houses 6395 elephants, which is 25% of India’s elephant population.
The census exercise was done in the fringe areas of the forests of Bandipur, Nagarhole and BRT Tiger reserves along with MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, Bannerghatta National Park, Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, Madikeri Wildlife Sanctuary, Madikeri Territorial Division, Virajpet Division and Kolar Division.