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Kochi : The peak hour for human-wildlife conflict in Keralam is between 10pm and 11pm, with as many as 384 incidents reported during this hour over the last three months, according to forest department data. Of the 4,170 conflicts reported across the state from June to August, 70% occurred at night, between 7pm and 6am, when wildlife typically ventures out in search of food and water. In 65% of the cases, no damage has been reported,” the official said. Conservation experts said though the state govt has proposed a series of measures, including the use of artificial intelligence, to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts as part of its Rs 1,040-crore comprehensive action plan, it has yet to address forest fragmentation, one of the major challenges in mitigating such conflicts.
A senior forest department official said many wild animals come out at night as it is safer for them. The official said the state would soon sign a memorandum of understanding with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, to study the carrying capacity of wildlife habitats within Keralam’s recorded forest limits. “Not only ecological factors, but also social factors, such as the increase in human population and linear infrastructure in the area, will be brought within the scope of the carrying-capacity study,” the officer said. They should remove monocrops in plantations and allow natural vegetation to grow instead of planting fruit trees,” one of them said.
“Most of the crop-loss incidents are related to wild elephants. The behaviour of wildlife is such that they want to avoid humans, and they do not have any pre-planned action like humans. They come out in search of food and water. “Besides fragmentation, absence of consolidation of habitat is an issue in the state. One of the proposals in the comprehensive action plan is planting fruit trees inside forests and it should be suspected that it is intended to help nurseries make money. Forests have their own structure and vegetation.