Lok Sabha Question No. 1353 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-07-25
Subject: Human-Wildlife Conflict
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: DNV Senthilkumar. S.

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1353

TO BE ANSWERED ON 25.07.2022

## Human-Wildlife Conflict

## 1353. DR. DNV SENTHILKUMAR. S.:

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

- (a) the  major  reasons  for  human-wildlife  conflict  and  the  details  of  both  human  and  wild animals killed in the conflict, State/year-wise;
- (b) whether the Government keeps strict observance of encroachments on protected areas to minimize the conflict, if so, the details of encroachment that are found and removed;
- (c) whether there is any Supreme Court direction in this regard, if so, the details thereof;
- (d) the details of impact of human-wildlife conflict on livelihood of local communities and the preventive and alternate measures taken in this regard; and
- (e) whether the Government is aware that human-elephant conflict is prevalent in Southern States especially in Tamil Nadu, if so, the details and corrective actions taken to mitigate the conflict?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

(SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a) and (b) As  a  result  of  concerted  efforts  made  for  protection  and  conservation  of wildlife,  the  population  of  several  wildlife  species  like  Tigers,  Elephants, Asiatic Lion, Rhino etc. in the country has increased. Assessments of humanwildlife  conflicts  indicate  that  the  main  causes  of  human  wildlife  conflict include habitat loss, growth of population of wild animals, changing cropping patterns  that  attract  wild  animals  to  farmlands,  movement  of  wild  animals from  forests  area  to  human  dominated  landscapes  for  food  and  fodder, movement of human beings to forests for illegal collection of forest produce, habitat degradation due to growth of invasive alien species, etc.

As per the recordsavailable in the Ministry the number of human deaths due to attacks by tigers and elephants, are given in Annexure-I and Annexure-II.

The  details  of  death  of  tiger  and  elephant  during  the  last  three  years  are  at Annexure-III, IV, V, VI and VII . However, the data related to encroachment is not collated and managed at the level of this Ministry.

- (c) The Supreme Court has issued severaldirections from time to time regardingencroachments in forest areas.
- (d) and (e) Wild animals enter human habitations and farmlands and cause destruction of standing crops, houses and injuring/ death of human being. Reports regarding human  elephant  conflict  are  received  from  elephant  range  states  including Tamil  Nadu.  The  steps  taken  by  Government  to  mitigate  human-wildlife conflict including  in the  State of  Tamil Nadu, are as  follows:
- i. The  Advisory  issued  by  the  Ministry  to  States/UTs  on  06.02.2021 suggests that a suitable portion of ex-gratia relief should be paid within 24  hours  to  the  affected  persons  in  the  case  of  death  and  injury  to persons.
- ii. Financial assistance is provided by the Ministry to States/Union Territories under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes of 'Development of Wildlife  Habitats',  'Project  Tiger'  and  'Project  Elephant'  for  activities like  creation  and  maintenance  of  water  holes  for  wild  animals  in Protected Areas, soil and moisture conservation measures, establishment of anti-poaching camps, strengthening wildlife veterinary care, eradication of weeds, creation and maintenance of fire lines, deployment of Tiger Protection Force and special Tiger Protection Force etc.
- iii. Guidelines  on  eco-friendly  measures  to  mitigate  the  impacts  of  linear infrastructure  have  been  published  by  the  Wildlife  Institute  of  India  to assist project agencies in designing linear infrastructure.
- iv. A  guideline  for  Management  of  Human  Elephant  Conflict  has  been issued by the Ministry on 6.10.2017 and elephant range states have been requested for implementation of the same.
- v. Critical elephant habitats are notified as 'Elephant Reserve' for focus and synergy in elephant conservation and to reduce conflict. The notification is  carried  out  with  the  approval  of  Steering  Committee  formed  in  the Ministry. So far 31 Elephant Reserves have been established in 14 major elephant States.
- vi. The National Tiger Conservation Authority has issued Standard Operating Procedures to deal with emergencies arising due to straying of tigers in human dominated landscapes and tiger depredation on livestock and for active management towards rehabilitation of tigers from source areas at the landscape level.

Annexure-I Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1353 due for reply on 25.07.2022 regarding 'Human-Wildlife Conflict'.

As reported by States, the details of Human death by tiger attack in tiger reserves in the States for calendar year during last three years

|   S. No. | State          | 2019   |   2020 |   2021 |
|----------|----------------|--------|--------|--------|
|        1 | Bihar          | 0      |      1 |      3 |
|        2 | Karnataka      | 4      |      0 |      1 |
|        3 | Kerala         | 0      |      1 |      0 |
|        4 | Madhya Pradesh | 1      |      6 |      0 |
|        5 | Maharashtra 26 |        |     25 |     10 |
|        6 | Rajasthan      | 5      |      0 |      0 |
|        7 | Tamil Nadu     | 0      |      1 |      3 |
|        8 | Telangana      | 0      |      2 |      0 |
|        9 | Uttar Pradesh  | 8      |      4 |     13 |
|       10 | Uttarakhand    | 3      |      0 |      1 |
|       11 | West Bengal    | 3      |      4 |      0 |

Annexure-II Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1353 due for reply on 25.07.2022 regarding 'Human-Wildlife Conflict'. Number of Human Deaths caused by elephant during last three years

| S. No.           | State             | 2019-20   | 2020-21   | 2021-22   |
|------------------|-------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| 1 Andhra         | Pradesh 4         |           | 6         | NR        |
| 2                | Arunachal Pradesh | 0         | 0         | 1         |
| 3                | Assam             | 75        | 91        | 63        |
| 4                | Chhattisgarh      | 77        | 42        | 64        |
| 5 Jharkhand      | 84                | 74        |           | 133       |
| 6 Karnataka      | 29                |           | 23        | 17        |
| 7 Kerala         | 12                |           | 20        | 25        |
| 8 Maharashtra    | 1                 |           | NR        | 0         |
| 9 Meghalaya      | 4                 |           | 6         | 2         |
| 10 Odisha        | 117               |           | 93        | 112       |
| 11 Tamil Nadu    | 58                |           | 57        | 37        |
| 12 Tripura       | 2                 |           | 1         | 2         |
| 13 Uttar Pradesh | 6                 |           | 1         | 0         |
| 14 West          | Bengal            | 116       | 47        | 77        |

*NR- Information not received from State

Annexure-III

Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1353 due for reply on 25.07.2022 regarding 'Human-Wildlife Conflict'.

## As reported by States, the details of Tiger Mortality (year-wise) during last three years

|   S. No. |   Year |   N |   UNP |   US |   P |   Seizure |
|----------|--------|-----|-------|------|-----|-----------|
|        1 |   2019 |  44 |     3 |   22 |  17 |        10 |
|        2 |   2020 |  20 |     0 |   71 |   8 |         7 |
|        3 |   2021 |   4 |     2 |  104 |   4 |        13 |

N - Natural UNP - Unnatural not attributed to poaching US - Under Scrutiny

- P - Poachign

Annexure-IV

Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1353 due for reply on 25.07.2022 regarding 'Human-Wildlife Conflict'. Elephant casualties in train accidents during last three years

|   S. No. | State       |   2018-19 |   2019-20 | 2020-21   |
|----------|-------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
|        1 | Assam       |         2 |         2 | 5         |
|        2 | West Bengal |         6 |         5 | 0         |
|        3 | Tamil Nadu  |         0 |         0 | 1         |
|        4 | Jharkhand   |         0 |         1 | 1         |
|        5 | Kerala      |         1 |         3 | 0         |
|        6 | Odisha      |         7 |         1 | 4         |
|        7 | Uttarakhand |         1 |         2 | NR        |
|        8 | Karnataka   |         2 |         0 | 1         |

*NR- Information not received from State.

Annexure-V Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1353 due for reply on 25.07.2022 regarding 'Human-Wildlife Conflict'. Elephant Casualties by Electrocution during last three years

| S. No.        | State     |   2018-19 | 2019-20   | 2020-21   |
|---------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| 1 Andhra      | Pradesh 2 |         5 | 1         |           |
| Assam         | 9         |        11 |           | 13        |
| Chhattisgarh  | 6         |         2 | 7         | 2 3       |
| Jharkhand     | 1         |         5 | 5         | 4         |
| Karnataka     | 9         |         8 | 9         | 5         |
| Kerala        | 6         |         4 | 2         | 6         |
| Meghalaya     | 0         |         5 | 0         | 7         |
| Nagaland      | 4         |         2 | 1         | 8         |
| Odisha        | 24        |         9 | 8         | 9         |
| Tamil Nadu    | 10        |        15 | 9         | 10        |
| Uttar Pradesh | 3         |         3 | 0         | 11        |
| Uttarakhand   | 3         |         2 | NR        | 12        |
| West Bengal   | 4         |         5 | 10        | 13        |

*NR- Information not received from State.

Annexure-VI Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1353 due for reply on 25.07.2022 regarding 'Human-Wildlife Conflict'. Elephant Deaths by Poaching during last three years

| S. No         | State       | 2018-19   | 2019-20   | 2020-21   |
|---------------|-------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| 1 Jharkhand   | 1           | 1         | 0         |           |
| 2 Kerala      | 0           |           | 1         | 1         |
| 3 Maharashtra | 0           |           | 0         | NR        |
| 4 Meghalaya   | 1           |           | 4         | 7         |
| Nagaland      | 0           |           | 0 2       | 5         |
| Odisha        | 2           |           | 3 2       | 6         |
| 7 Tamil       | Nadu        | 1         | 0         | 2         |
| 8             | Uttarakhand | 1         | 0         | NR        |

*NR- Information not received from State.

Annexure-VII Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1353 due for reply on 25.07.2022 regarding 'Human-Wildlife Conflict'. Elephant Deaths by Poisoning during last three years

|   S. No. | State        |   2018-19 |   2019-20 |   2020-21 |
|----------|--------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
|        1 | Assam        |         8 |         0 |         1 |
|        2 | Chhattisgarh |         0 |         0 |         1 |
|        3 | Kerala       |         1 |         0 |         0 |