Forest departments in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana have decided to form a group to seek the funds from the Centre in order to curb human-elephant conflicts (HEC) and work together to prevent fragmentation of elephant corridors, habitat improvement and other measures.
Ministers from four Indian states recently met on the sidelines of the International Conference on Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) Management and agreed to develop a ‘Bengaluru Charter’ aimed at addressing the escalating conflicts between humans and elephants.
The charter will outline a set of measures and strategies to manage and mitigate HEC, with an emphasis on cross-border cooperation and coordination.
During the hour-long meeting, Karnataka’s Forest Minister, Eshwar B Khandre, expressed the state’s willingness to learn from the best practices of other states and emphasised the importance of securing funds from the Centre.
Karnataka, which has already implemented measures like rail barricades, trenches, and solar fences to prevent elephants from entering human habitats, has nearly ₹1,000 crore in Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Authority (CAMPA) funds that remain unreleased by the Centre. Khandre highlighted the state’s need for these funds to advance its HEC management efforts.
Kerala’s Forest and Wildlife Minister, AK Saseendran, suggested amending the Wildlife Protection Act to grant more powers to states that are grappling with man-animal conflicts. He also advocated for a shift in focus from tiger-centric policies to address the broader range of wildlife conflicts, particularly those involving elephants. Saseendran proposed seeking an appointment with the Union Environment Minister to discuss these issues.
Jharkhand’s Minister, Baidyanath Ram, raised concerns about the inadequate compensation provided to farmers for crop damage caused by elephants. He and other officials from Jharkhand called for a uniform ex-gratia payment system across states for victims of HEC.
India has the largest number of wild Asian Elephants, estimated to be around 30,000. Loss of their traditional foraging environments has been bringing wild elephants closer to human habitations, sparking these conflicts.
As many as 1,701 humans in 16 states were killed by elephants from 2020-21 to 2023-24, according to data presented in the Rajya Sabha by the Union environment ministry in December.
Key points of the proposed Bengaluru Charter include:
Standard operating procedures: Establishing guidelines to help communities transition from conflict to coexistence with elephants.
Prevention of corridor and habitat fragmentation: Taking measures to protect and maintain elephant corridors and habitats.
Radio collaring: Implementing radio collaring for large elephant herds and lone males to monitor their movements.
Elephant behaviour research: Conducting research on elephant behavior to better understand and manage conflict situations.
Elephant corridor recovery: Working on the restoration of elephant corridors to ensure safe passage for the animals.
Central funding for crop damage: Seeking central government contributions to compensate farmers for crop losses due to elephants.
Population control: Exploring temporary contraception methods to manage elephant populations.
Wildlife Protection Act revisions: Reassessing the Wildlife Protection Act to include a stronger focus on elephant management.
The states involved plan to submit a joint memorandum to the Centre, pressing for the release of CAMPA funds and advocating for legislative changes to better manage human-elephant conflicts.
The Bengaluru Charter is expected to be finalised and formally accepted by the participating states in the coming days.
Follow us
