Forest dept begins 100-day action plan to reduce human-animal conflict

Thiruvananthapuram: Forest minister Shibu Baby John said forest department’s 100-day action plan will begin on Sunday to ensure safety of people living along Kerala’s forest borders and to reduce human-animal conflict.Along with protecting state’s biodiversity, the programme aims to safeguard people’s lives and property through implementation of 17 public-focused initiatives.He said that next 100 days, the department will focus on reducing wildlife conflict, speeding up compensation disbursal, strengthening wildlife monitoring with modern technology and digitising public services.“To ensure faster resolution of issues, including compensation claims, an integrated online portal and WhatsApp-based services will be introduced.

A 24/7 forest call centre will also be made operational. With support from national scientific institutions, a study will be conducted on wildlife carrying capacity of Kerala’s forests. The programme will additionally kick-start large-scale efforts to improve natural wildlife habitats through grassland restoration, removal of invasive plant species and participatory social forestry,” the minister said.

He said that “as part of the first phase, 100km of new solar-powered fencing will be installed in highly conflict-prone areas. Repairs to around 2,000km of existing fences will be completed swiftly, along with introduction of a centralised monitoring system. To improve the safety of travellers on forest routes, a 100-km “vista clearance” project to clear roadside undergrowth will also begin, alongside second phase of Sarpa snake rescue initiative.

”“To enable quicker responses to wildlife attacks, 25 satellite rapid response teams (RRTs) will be formed, along with new metro response teams in urban areas,” he added.“State will submit a revised proposal to central govt seeking legal amendments to tackle the menace caused by wild boars and bonnet macaques. Kerala has requested that wild boars be classified as vermin under Wildlife Protection Act and that monkeys be shifted from Schedule I to Schedule II,” John said.In addition, wild boar population surveys will be conducted at panchayat level and a panel of authorised shooters will be prepared. To manage local disturbances caused by monkeys, peacocks and similar species, panchayat-level response teams will be set up and trained, with forest liaison officers appointed to coordinate efforts.A special package will be prepared for severely affected regions of Wayanad, Kothamangalam and Munnar.An expert committee will be appointed to study introduction of an insurance scheme for farmers and residents of wildlife-affected areas. At the same time, a state-level advisory panel comprising farmers and scientists will be created, along with a dedicated action plan to strengthen forest veterinary wing.Closed and abandoned estates that have become wildlife habitats will be mapped and cleaned up through a dedicated mechanism. Steps will also be taken to revise captive elephant management rules and modernise elephant care centres.