Lok Sabha Question No. 969 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-02-07
Subject: Wildlife Corridors
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Sunil Baburao Mendhe

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 969

TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.02.2020

## Wildlife Corridors

## 969. SHRI SUNIL BABURAO MENDHE:

Will  the  Minister  of ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND  CLIMATE  CHANGE be  pleased  to state:

- (a) whether the Government has formulated or proposes to formulate any policy to identify and notify wildlife corridors keeping in view the rising instances of man-animal conflicts in various States of the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the other initiatives taken by the Government to address the issue of man-animal conflicts specifically in the protected areas in the State of Maharashtra?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO )

- (a) & (b) The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 provides for ensuring ecologically compatible  land  uses  in  the  tiger  reserves  and  adjoining  areas  linking  one Protected  Area  or  Tiger  Reserve  with  another  for  addressing  the  livelihood concerns of local people, so as to provide dispersal habitats and corridors for spill over population of wild animals especially tigers from the designated core areas of Tiger Reserves or from tiger breeding habitats within other Protected Areas.  Besides,  Section  38  O  (1)  (g)  of  the  said  Act  mandates  the  National Tiger Conservation Authority to ensure that Tiger Reserves and areas linking one  Protected  Area  or  Tiger  Reserve  with  another  Protected  Area  or  Tiger Reserve are not diverted for ecologically unsustainable uses, except in public interest and with the approval of the National Board for Wild Life and on the advice of the National Tiger Conservation Authority. In compliance of this, the Government of India has identified 32 major tiger corridors at macro level in the  country  which  are codified  in  the  Tiger  Conservation  Plans  mandated  for each Tiger Reserve as per section 38 V of the said Act. The Gajah Task Force report had also recognized 88 elephant corridors in the country.
- (c) In  context  of  managing  human-animal  conflict,  the  Government  of  India  has advocated  an  approach  to  mitigate  human-wildlife  negative  interactions  as follows:
-  Providing financial assistance for logistics such as rapid response teams, its  infrastructure,  veterinary  infrastructure,  compensation  and  ex-gratia payment.
-  Restructuring habitat interventions in Protected Areas  vis-e-vis to carrying capacity of wild animals.
-  Advisories  have  been  issued  dated  24 th December,  2014  and  1 st June, 2015  in  the  context  of  human-wildlife  conflict  to  the  Chief  Wildlife Wardens of all State Governments/ Union Territory Administrations.

In context of elephant, the Gajah Task Force has laid out a set of recommendations for managing conflict which inter-alia include  constitution of  anti  depredation  teams,  barriers  to  movement  and  removal  via  capture  of problematic animals.

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