Union Minister for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav has said that there is no need for any amendment in the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 to address human-wildlife conflict as the chief wildlife warden was empowered to trap, catch, and, if necessary, shoot wildlife according to the Section 11 of the Act.
Speaking to the media here on Thursday after holding discussions with senior officials of various departments and public representatives, Mr. Yadav said the State government and local representatives of Wayanad and the adjoining regions had ignored the escalating human-animal conflict.
This was rather unfortunate and had led to loss of lives, the Minister said.
The Centre had sanctioned ₹15.82 crore during the 2023-24 fiscal under various schemes to the State, which also had the legislative authority to act in the matter, Mr. Yadav said.
“We request the State government to be prompt in its response so that lives can be saved and wildlife can flourish,” Mr. Yadav said.
Mr. Yadav undertook a two-day field visit to the district after a visit to Bandipur National Park in Karnataka along with senior officers from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and scientists of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) for a first-hand appraisal of human-wildlife conflict in the region.
Mr. Yadav discussed the issue with MLAs O.R. Kelu, I.C. Balakrishnan, T. Siddique and Wayanad district panchayat president Shamshad Marakkar. MOEFCC Director-General Jithendra Kumar, Additional Director-General S.P. Yadav, District Collector Renu Raj, Chief Wildlife Warden Jayaprasad and senior officials of various departments attended the meeting.
The MOEFCC has decided to develop the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), Coimbatore, as a centre for handholding States like Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu on mitigation of human-wildlife conflicts based on the discussions, Mr. Yadav said .
Inter-state coordination
All southern States need better cooperation, coordination, and collaboration on wildlife issues, Mr. Yadav said, adding that the Centre will facilitate the inter-state coordination meetings. The Ministry will support the capacity-building of frontline staff and other frontline departments for the use of early warning systems, use of modern technology and equipment and modern tracking systems, the Minister said
Based on the demand/annual plan of operations proposed by the State government, the Centre will consider funding support under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) and other schemes for site-specific elephant-proof walls and other mitigation measures, Mr. Yadav said.
Elephant-proof fences
The Centre, through WII, will assist in preparing corridor management plans in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. At site-specific locations, elephant-proof fences may be erected. The State government may request for funding support from the Central government under CAMPA and other schemes, Mr. Yadav said .
The Centre has also enhanced ex-gratia payment from ₹5 Lakh to ₹10 lakh for human causalities. The payment of ex-gratia has to be done by the State Government immediately and transparently. A suitable mechanism and protocol have to be developed by the State transparently, the Minister added.
