Government stresses science, tech to tackle wildlife conflict
The challenge of human-wildlife conflict must be addressed through a balanced approach that combines scientific management, institutional coordination, technology-enabled monitoring, and active involvement of local communities, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Wednesday.
The minister made the comments at a meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Environment Ministry.
During the meeting chaired by Yadav, the measures required to strengthen prevention, mitigation, and long-term coexistence between people and wildlife were discussed.
The committee was informed about the establishment of the Centre of Excellence on Human-Wildlife Conflict (CoE-HWC) in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
The centre is a national institution for scientific research, technological innovation, policy support, capacity building and community-centred approaches for effective management of human-wildlife conflict.
The committee also noted the launch of the National Human-Wildlife Conflict Portal on July 10, as a unified digital platform for recording conflict incidents, data management, knowledge sharing, and decision support.
Yadav emphasised that these measures would provide an important institutional framework for developing data-driven strategies, facilitating knowledge exchange, and supporting States in adopting best practices.
Moreover, the meeting witnessed presentations by Assam, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, highlighting their conflict scenarios, mitigation measures, community participation initiatives, use of technology, institutional mechanisms, and recommendations for strengthening national efforts.
