Rising wildlife conflict in Karnataka hints at emerging crisis

Bengaluru: Wildlife conflicts have been rising steadily in Karnataka over the last five years, with numbers that were once considered an aberration becoming a new normal.

An analysis of the conflict data, from death of humans and cattle to crop and property damage, for 14 years between 2010-11 and 2023-24 shows that the state is staring at a major crisis in the coming years. Senior officials believe that the forest department, short of personnel and resources, is ill-equipped to meet those challenges.

The loss of natural forests is best illustrated in conflict patterns, where an uptick is an indicator for habitat destruction and fragmentation. During the last 14 years, over 11,500 acres of forests have been lost, including 4,228 acres for mining, while invasive plant species shrunk wildlife habitats.  

Two representative statistics in the data are cattle kill and crop damage, providing a clue about the challenges in wildlife management. The number of cattle kills largely hovered around 2,000 till five years ago. It reached the 3,000-mark in 2020-21 and has been climbing steadily, reaching 4,052 in 2021-22. The last two years saw the numbers cross 5,000.

Similarly, crop damage crossed the 30,000-mark only once, in 2010-11. Since then, the numbers are reaching new milestones, closing in on 38,000-mark in 2023-24. In monetary terms, the department had to shell out Rs 31.61 crore to cover the damage. Farmers, however, say the compensation is 'pittance', especially in the case of commercial crops like sugarcane and horticultural crops like bananas.

The year 2023-24 saw an increase in the number of human injuries, deaths and peaking of property damage incidents. The year also saw the forest department priding itself over the increase in the population of tigers and elephants.

To a question, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) Subhash K Malkhede said apart from the harsh summer, there was no other explanation for the sudden uptick in the incidents last year.

"This year, we had a good monsoon and the numbers have slowed down. However, we definitely need to take up a comprehensive study of the long-term data to understand the challenges," he said.

B K Singh, former Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Head of Forest Force), described the rising conflict incidents as a price paid due to the actions of politicians.

"Forest destruction and fragmentation, shrinking habitat and climate change are all coming together to pose major challenges to wildlife management. The government's failure to check encroachments, the misuse of Forest Rights Act and the politicians' refusal to learn from scientific studies have all brought us to this point," he said.

A senior officer said there was an urgent need to change the current conservation approach. "We are trying to save each individual. This defeats the very idea of natural selection that enables the animals to thrive amidst the challenges in the wild," he said.