Regulated hunting key: Gadgil

Prominent ecologist Madhav Gadgil has been batting for restricted hunting. No other country in the world has a total ban on regulated hunting, as proposed in the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, he points out.

“The law of ecology is simple. Any animal that survives will have their numbers go up unfettered, unless there’s a regulating mechanism in place. Everywhere else in the world, there are regulatory steps to check such rising numbers. Restricted hunting is the only option before us. The elephant population is on the rise. Of course, all sorts of construction activities and plantations add to the rising number of human-animal conflicts,” Gadgil said.

Wildlife experts, however, beg to differ as they feel it will work only in a sanitised social environment where people are aware of the significance of forest and wildlife.

Fund allocation concerns

Despite the rise in incidence of wild-animal attacks, the budgetary allocation — for compensation and preventive measures — often falls short. “The amount set aside in the last budget for compensation to families of victims was a meagre `1.26 crore. When it came up for discussion in the assembly subject committee, both ruling and Opposition legislators demanded sufficient allocation, following which it was revised to `23 crore,” said an MLA.

The current budget has set apart `48.85 crore for preventive measures. The assembly panel has been demanding more concrete steps to address the issue on a long-term basis. In addition to more fund allocation for compensation, there should be better preventing steps too in place, the panel said.

What forest dept can do?

The department alone cannot address the menace, which calls for a collective approach involving different departments, the public and stakeholders. A slew of short-term solutions have been put in place, said Pramod Krishnan, APCC (administration).

“The measures include setting up rapid response teams (RRTs), real-time alerts, and monitoring using drones, in addition to inter-state coordination to alert animal movements. Similarly, steps have been taken to provide immediate assistance to victims,” he said.

What’s the lasting solution?

Improving the quality of forests would prove to be the only lasting solution to the issue in Kerala, say observers. Most of state’s forests are not contiguous, but highly fragmented. Reducing the fragmentation and patchiness would be the only solution. The government has been working towards convincing residents to shift their settlements outside forests.

Similarly, expanding plantations have affected the quality of natural forests. The Eco-Restoration Policy, 2021 aims to restore 27,000 hectares with acacia and eucalyptus plantations in the state. The move has triggered concern among residents along forest patches, who see it as an attempt to widen the forest cover, which would eventually affect human occupants in these areas.

“It’s not about shifting or relocating people. The aim should be to improve the quality of forests, and make them multi-cropped so as to keep animals within,” pointed out an expert.

Presence of invasive plant species is also attracting animals to human settlements

Deaths due to human-wildlife conflict in other states in 5 years

• Odisha 499

• Assam 385

• West Bengal 358

Incidents of wild conflicts in Kerala in 2021-22

• Deaths 114

• Injured 758

• Cattle loss 514

• Property loss 6,580