1 week ago
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Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Kumar Pushkar has attributed the emergence successful human-animal struggle to increasing quality and wildlife populations, coupled with the accelerated enlargement of agriculture into wood buffer zones.
Mr. Pushkar was speaking aft inaugurating a two-day nationalist seminar connected human-animal conflict, organised by Kuvempu University astatine Shankarghatta connected Thursday.
He noted that the full country nether cultivation had expanded importantly successful caller years. “Earlier, stretches of 5 to 10 km astir wood boundaries remained uncultivated. Now, currency crops and nutrient crops are grown close up to the wood edge, with houses and cultivation lands straight adjoining wood areas. The infinitesimal animals measurement out, struggle begins,” helium said.
Co-existence
Mr. Pushkar said infrastructure development, peculiarly roadworthy operation and dense vehicular traffic, had further disrupted carnal question and intensified conflict. “Besides, tolerance level of radical has dropped considerably. A insignificant incidental is amplified done societal media, drafting ample crowds and protests,” helium observed.
With the summation successful colonisation of some quality beings and wildlife, antheral stood connected 1 broadside and millions of different taxon connected the other, helium said. “It is simply a struggle betwixt 1 taxon and the rest. Notably, each different taxon co-exists, it is lone humans who are successful conflict. That is precisely wherefore we request to deliberation earnestly astir mitigation and illustration a meaningful co-existence policy,” helium said.
The PCCF pointed retired that wildlife populations had grown substantially implicit the years. From astir 200 tigers successful the State astir 15 years ago, the fig has risen to 563, the 2nd highest successful the country. Karnataka besides leads nationally successful elephant population, with 6,395 elephants. The State has implicit 40,000 sq km of wood cover, of which 28%- astir 11,000 sq km- falls wrong protected areas. “This extortion has straight contributed to the maturation successful wildlife populations,” helium said.
Mr. Pushkar recalled that erstwhile helium joined the service, struggle incidents were mostly confined to the confederate landscapes of Bandipur successful Chamarajanagar and Nagarahole. In caller years, however, incidents person been reported crossed Hassan, Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga and respective different districts.
“In the past 5 years, the fig of struggle incidents has astir doubled from 27,000 to 50,000. Compensation payouts person correspondingly risen from ₹18 crore to ₹70 crore,” helium said. He commended the Kuvempu University for organising the seminar and urged the organisers to stock probe findings with the Forest Department to assistance successful struggle mitigation efforts.
H.N. Kumara, Principal Scientist astatine the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore, noted that human-animal struggle has heavy humanities roots, moving astir parallel to the people of civilisation. He pointed retired that past texts incorporate references to specified struggle and emphasise the value of co-existence.
T.N. Prakash Kammaradi, agro-economist, Sharath Ananthamurthy, Vice-Chancellor of Kuvempu University, Yashpal Ksheerasagar, Conservator of Forests of Chikkamagaluru, Pulkit Meena, DCF of Bhadra Tiger Reserve, and Vijay Kumara, Head of Department of Wildlife and Management of Kuvempu University were contiguous successful the inaugural session.
The assemblage has invited galore experts to present speech connected mitigating the human-animal conflict. Over 50 researchers from antithetic parts of the State and extracurricular are participating successful the seminar.
