Lok Sabha Question No. 1221 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-08
Subject: Human-Wildlife Conflict Hotspots
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Smt. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1221

TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.12.2025

## Human-Wildlife Conflict Hotspots

## 1221. SMT. PRIYANKA GANDHI VADRA:

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

- (a) the details of Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) hotspots identified in the State of Kerala under National Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation Strategy and Action Plan (HWCNAP) district-wise;
- (b) whether the Government has taken measures to mitigate conflict in the hotspots;
- (c) the  details  of  the  Early  Warning  and  Rapid  Response  System  established  at  HWC hotspots  in  Wayanad  Lok  Sabha  Constituency,  including  technologies  deployed  and ground-based alert mechanisms;
- (d) whether additional financial or technical assistance is being provided to the States facing high HWC, particularly in critical landscapes like Wayanad, if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether the Government is developing any new or upgraded early warning systems for detection and mitigation of HWC, and if so, the details thereof along with pilot projects and timelines for implementation; and
- (f) the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  ensure  real-time  data  sharing  and  coordination between neighbouring States for the management of wildlife corridors and movement across administrative boundaries, especially in Wayanad Lok Sabha Constituency?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (f) The management of wildlife including mitigation of human-animal conflicts is primarily the responsibility of the concerned State Government/Union Territory Administration. The State Government/Union Territory Administration is the first responder in Human Wildlife Conflict situations.

As per the information received from the State Government of Kerala, Human-Wildlife Conflicts has been declared as a 'State- Specific Disaster' in Kerala vide GO(Ms.) No. 4/2024/DMD dated 07/03/2024 for  effective  management  of mitigation  activities  with  inter-departmental  efforts. Accordingly,  in  2024  itself,  271  Panchayaths  /  Municipalities  in  12  Landscapes  have  been identified as Human-Wildlife Conflict areas. Among these Panchayaths/ Municipalities, 30 have been identified as HWC hotspots. The list of these 30 hotspots are placed at Annexure-I.

As per the information received from the state three Rapid Response Teams have been deployed in  Wayanad  Lok  Sabha  Constituency  to  mitigate  Human-Wildlife  Conflicts  in  the  area  viz.,

Sulthan Bathery (Wayanad District), Mananthavady (Wayanad District) and Nilambur (Malappuram District).  In  addition  to  this,  Satellite  RRTs  are  also  deployed  at  Kalpetta  and Meppadi  (Wayanad  District).  In  Periya  Range  of  North  Wayanad  Division,  AI  powered Perimeter  Intrusion  Detection  System  and  Early  Warning  System  (smart-fencing)  has  been installed  on  an  experimental  basis,  which  is  found  effective.  The  innovative  system  utilizes Distributed Acoustic Sensing technology, wherein an optical fiber network (stretched over 10 km) detects vibrations caused by moving wildlife. Drone and thermal camera based monitoring and early detection systems are also deployed in the forest areas, with special emphasis to the HWC hot-spots.  To  monitor  wildlife  crossing  state  borders  and  sharing  information,  and  to effectively manage human-wildlife conflict situations, Inter-State Coordination Committee has been formed among the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Minister level meetings and Secretary level meetings of the Inter-State Coordination Committee were conducted during 2024 and  MoU for cooperation and information exchange has been  signed between Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka on 10.03.2024 at Bandipur, Karnataka.

Further,  the  Government  has  undertaken  several  key  measures  to  address  human-wildlife conflict.

- (i) The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 has been amended to accord statutory status to management plans of Protected Areas, ensuring Gram Sabha consultations.
- (ii) The Section 11 (1) (a) of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, empowers the State Chief Wild Life Wardens to grant permits for hunting animals falling in Schedule I of the Act, which become dangerous to human life. Further, the Section 11 (1) (b) of the Act empowers State Chief Wild Life Warden or any authorized officer to grant permits  for  hunting  of  wild  animals  falling  under  Schedule-II  of  the  Act,  if  such animals have become dangerous to human life or property.
- (iii) A robust network of National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Conservation Reserves and Community Reserves has been established across the country for habitat protection under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
- (iv) An advisory on dealing with human-wildlife conflict has been issued by the Ministry on 6 th  February, 2021. The Ministry has also issued Guidelines to States/UTs on 3 rd June 2022 to manage Human Wildlife conflict. Species-specific mitigation guidelines for key  conflict-prone  species,  as well as  cross-cutting  advisories  on  media engagement, occupational safety, crowd management and emergency response, have also been issued, along with a Field Manual  on  Human-Elephant  Conflict Management and Guidelines on eco-friendly measures for linear infrastructure.
- (v) Focused conservation support is provided for 24 critically endangered species under the  Species  Recovery  Programme  under  the  scheme  'Development  of  Wildlife Habitats'.
- (vi) Financial assistance is extended to States/UTs under the schemes 'Development of Wildlife Habitats' and 'Project Tiger and Elephant' for conflict mitigation measures such  as  early  warning  systems,  physical  barriers,  compensation  for  loss  of  life, livestock  and  crops,  and  deployment  of  Rapid  Response  Teams.  The  Ministry enhanced ex-gratia relief for death or permanent incapacitation from ₹5 lakh to ₹10 lakh in December 2023, with other compensation norms for injuries and property/crop damage  as  per  State  guidelines.  Advanced  technologies  including  radio-collaring, digital sensor walls and e-surveillance are increasingly used in conflict mitigation.
- (vii) The  Ministry  also  supports  States  in  awareness  generation,  training  and  capacitybuilding programmes, and Forest Departments work closely with local communities for  vigilance,  early  alerts  and  public  sensitization.  A  Centre  of  Excellence  for Human-Wildlife Conflict Management has been established at SACON, Coimbatore.
- (viii) Further, 32 major tiger corridors and 150 elephant corridors have been identified by NTCA,  WII  and  the  Ministry  to  ensure  secure  wildlife  movement,  and  Regional Action  Plans  are  being  prepared  with  States/UTs  for  long-term  conservation  and conflict reduction in these landscapes.

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## Annexure-I

## Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a) and (f) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1221 due for reply on 08.12.2025 regarding 'Human-Wildlife Conflict Hotspots'

The list of these 30 hotspot Panchayaths / Municipalities are listed below

|   Sl. No. | Risk Category   | Management type   | Name of management unit   | District           |
|-----------|-----------------|-------------------|---------------------------|--------------------|
|         1 | Very High       | Municipality      | Mananthavady              | Wayanad            |
|         2 |                 |                   | Sulthan Bathery           | Wayanad            |
|         3 |                 | Panchayath        | Kuttampuzha               | Ernakulam          |
|         4 |                 |                   | Mankulam                  | Idukki             |
|         5 |                 |                   | Noolpuzha                 | Wayanad            |
|         6 |                 |                   | Panamaram                 | Wayanad            |
|         7 |                 |                   | Thavinhal                 | Wayanad            |
|         8 |                 |                   | Thirunelly                | Wayanad            |
|         9 |                 |                   | Thondernad                | Wayanad            |
|        10 | High            | Panchayath        | Agali                     | Palakakd           |
|        11 |                 |                   | Aralam                    | Kannur             |
|        12 |                 |                   | Ariencavu                 | Kollam             |
|        13 |                 |                   | Ayyampuzha                | Ernakulam          |
|        14 |                 |                   | Kanthalloor               | Idukki             |
|        15 |                 |                   | Kelakam                   | Kannur             |
|        16 |                 |                   | Kodassery                 | Thrissur           |
|        17 |                 |                   | Koovappady                | Ernakulam          |
|        18 |                 |                   | Kottappady                | Ernakulam          |
|        19 |                 |                   | Kottiyoor                 | Kannur             |
|        20 |                 |                   | Kulathupuzha              | Kollam             |
|        21 |                 |                   | Meenangadi                | Wayanad            |
|        22 |                 |                   | Mullamkolly               | Wayanad            |
|        23 |                 |                   | Payyavoor                 | Kannur             |
|        24 |                 |                   | Peringammala              | Thiruvananthapuram |
|        25 |                 |                   | Pindimana                 | Ernakulam          |
|        26 |                 |                   | Poothadi                  | Wayanad            |
|        27 |                 |                   | Pulpally                  | Wayanad            |
|        28 |                 |                   |                           | Palakakd           |
|        29 |                 |                   | Sholayar Vellamunda       | Wayanad            |
|        30 |                 |                   | Vengoor                   | Ernakulam          |

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