News Karnataka
Thursday, March 28 2024
Cricket
Mysuru

One-day workshop on ‘Human-Elephant conflict’ held in city

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Mysuru: “National Parks in the state have a good number of teak wood and elephants do not consume it,” said Minister for forest environment and ecology B Ramanath Rai addressing the gathering as he was inaugurating a one-day workshop on ‘Human-Elephant conflict’ and ‘Restoration of elephant corridor and home range through private or community reserves’ organized by Karnataka Forest Department at Aranya Bhavan in the city.

Speaking further on the issue of human-animal conflict, he said that despite various attempts and programmes, the government has not been able to control this conflict. “The government is mulling over plant fruit and fodder plants inside National Parks to ensure sufficient food for animals”, he said.

As per the 2012 census conducted by the forest department, the state has more than 6000 elephants while the country has nearly 31,368. With this, Karnataka is home to about 20% of the elephant population in the country.

The authorities claimed that the population of the elephants was between 4,000 and 6,000 from past fifteen years.

Speaking to media persons on the moral policing incident that took place on Monday, August 24 in Mangaluru, he condemned the act and said “There are many people who are providing externally support for these kinds of acts and media should take initiative to bring them to light. District Administration has to answer for this incident”, he added.

Delivering the key note address at the workshop chief wild life warden Ravi Ralph said that scarcity of water inside the forest is one of the main reasons for wild animals entering human habitats.

He spoke about the need to addressing the problem of rapid change in land use in and around elephant range areas. He added that the department also needs adequate funding for creation and maintenance of location specific special structures including the rails barriers along the forest boundary.

Strict regulation of tourism/eco-tourism or other activities causing disturbance to the elephants in the elephant range areas outside the elephant reserve and Removal of fencing, wherever these are found detrimental to the movement of the elephants in the areas outside the elephant reserves are ways in which elephants can be prevented from entering into villages, he said.

“However, the authorities must take serious note in this regard”, he said.  

Pointing the long term measures, Ralph said that restoring the corridor connectivity at the landscape level ensure the habitat integrity and integrated management  of home range areas comprising Protected Areas and other Reserved forest falling in the territorial divisions of elephant reserves. Stressing on the short term actions he pointed out that the creation and maintenance of barriers to prevent elephants from entering into agricultural fields and human habitation such as solar fencing, elephant proof trenches, rubber stone walls and construction of anti-crop depredation camps are also important ways in which these issues can be tackled.

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