Lok Sabha Question No. 2738 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-17
Subject: Steps to protect Wildlife Corridors from Intrusion
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Dr. Amar Singh

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2738

TO BE ANSWERED ON 17.03.2025

## Steps to protect Wildlife Corridors from Intrusion

## 2738.  DR. AMAR SINGH:

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

- (a) whether the Government is cognizant that rising human-elephant conflicts across the country  can  be  traced  to  a  multitude  of  factors  that  include  agricultural  expansion, industrial intrusion, mining, infrastructural activities and even climate change; and
- (b) if so, the details of the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to ensure that wildlife corridors are safe from intrusion and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

- (a) and (b)  There have been reports of human-wildlife conflicts, including those involving elephants, from several parts of the country. The Government has undertaken various  measures  to  address  these  issues,  which, inter-alia ,  includes  the following:
- i. The  Ministry  has issued an advisory on 06.02.2021  to all states/UTs to deal with human wildlife situations.
- ii. The Ministry has issued Guidelines to States/UTs on 3 rd June 2022 to manage Human Wildlife conflict.
- iii. The Ministry has released species-specific guidelines on 21.03.2023 for mitigation of Human Wildlife conflicts involving elephant, Gaur, Leopard, snake, Crocodile, rhesus Macaque, wild Pig, bear, Blue Bull and Blackbuck. The Ministry has also issued guidelines for cross cutting issues such as cooperation with media, occupational health and safety in human-wildlife conflict mitigation, crowd management and addressing health emergencies arising out of human-wildlife conflict situations.
- iv. The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 has been amended to provide statutory  status  to  management  plans  of  the  protected  areas, mandating consultations with the concerned Gram Sabha.
- v. The  Ministry  provides  financial  assistance  to  State  and  Union Territory  Governments  under  the  Centrally  sponsored  Schemes 'Development  of  Wildlife Habitats' and 'Project Tiger and Elephant' for management of wildlife and its habitat in the country. The  activities  supported  include  procurement  of  early  warning systems,  construction  and  erection  of  physical  barriers  such  as barbed  wire  fence,  solar,  powered  electric  fence,  bio-fencing, boundary walls etc. to prevent the entry of wild animals into crop fields.
- vi. Advance technology like radio collaring, digital sensor walls and E-surveillance are also used in human wildlife conflict mitigation.
- vii. The  State Forest Departments  organizes periodic awareness campaigns  to  sensitize  the  general  public  on  human-animal conflict.  Further,  Forest  Departments  are  engaging  with  local communities  as  animal  trackers  to  monitor  the  movement  of elephants and to caution people in time.

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