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Man animal conflict with respect to Indian sub-continent
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Chapter 2 Human-Animal Conflict: Analysis
2.1 Introduction 2.2 Outline 2.3 Causes of Human Animal Conflict 2.4 Overview of the human – animal conflict worldwide 2.5 Analysis
Man-animal conflicts are common in various parts of the country. In India, wild elephants probably kill far more people than tiger, leopard or lion. But, surprisingly, human conflict involving leopard draws great amount of public attention compared to other animals.
This chapter discusses the reasons for human-animal conflict, the critical study of human- wildlife conflict worldwide specifically in Africa, Asia, and Europe & analyses the conflict between human & animal
2.1 Introduction Human-wildlife conflict is fast becoming a critical threat to the survival of many endangered species, like wild buffalo, elephants, tiger, lion, leopard etc. such conflicts affect not only its population but also has broadened environmental impacts on ecosystem equilibrium and biodiversity conservation. Laws are man-made, hence there is likelihood of anthropocentric bias towards man, and rights of wild animals often tend to be of secondary importance. But in the universe man and animal are equally placed, but human rights approach to environmental protection in case of conflict, is often based on anthropocentricity.^62 Wildlife-human conflicts are a serious obstacle to wildlife conservation and the livelihoods of people worldwide and are becoming more prevalent as human population increases, development expands, and global climate changes and other human and environmental factors put people and wildlife in greater direct competition for a shrinking resource base. Conflicts between wildlife and humans cost many lives, both human and wildlife, threaten livelihoods, and jeopardize long-term conservation goals such as securing protected areas and building constituencies in support of biodiversity conservation.^63 Human-Wildlife Conflict is any interaction between wildlife and humans which causes harm, whether it is to the human, the wild animal, or property. (Property includes buildings, equipment, livestock and pets, crops fields or fences.)^64 Some examples of human-wildlife conflict include:
Predation on livestock or domestic animals by wildlife
Ungulate damage crops and fences
Flooding caused by beavers
Wildlife strewing about residential garbage
Squirrels or bats in home attics
Birds nesting in undesirable residential locations
Vehicle/wildlife collisions
(^62) T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad Vs. UOI and Ors ., AIR2012SC (^63) Barua Mann, Human-Wildlife Conflict & 21st (^) Century Conservation ,(2010) Reading Group Outline, University of Oxford 64 www.env.gov.yk.co/wildlifebiodiversity /human_wildlife_conflict (visited on 12th^ Oct 2012)
combined with poor eyesight and slow response time of animals results in the death of innumerable wildlife.
Commonly killed species normally include nocturnal animals such as mouse deer, civet, black-naped hare, leopard and sambar. There have been several instances of tiger, elephant calves, chital, dhole, sloth bear, wolf, blackbuck and other large mammals killed due to road accidents. Scores of reptiles, birds and amphibians are killed due to vehicular traffic in protected areas.^67
When an important individual of a species is killed it causes several indirect effects on the population. For example if a female tiger is killed, it might have cubs that will die of starvation, or death of dominant males will have a serious impact on the population. Other males trying to take over the territory will kill all the cubs sired by the previous dominant male so that females would come into estrus again. So there are several indirect impacts on animals as a consequence of road accidents.
Hence it is extremely important that travelers drive their vehicle at low speed and with utmost caution while driving through forests. Implementation of speed calming measures such as road humps, rumble strips and chicanes at crucial locations are equally important. Whenever there are alternatives available roads have to be realigned outside the protected areas.
2. Livestock grazing^68
Livestock grazing in forests leads to human-wildlife conflict as carnivores are attracted towards the easy prey and become direct enemies of livestock graziers. Grazing by livestock has severely threatened our wildlife and their habitats in various ways. The most noticeable effect is the decline of wild herbivore populations as they have to compete with livestock for their food source. As more cattle graze and nibble the natural vegetation there is less palatable biomass for wild herbivores. As livestock eliminate palatable native plant species often unpalatable species of plants invade the area^69.
Scientific studies conducted in Bandipur Tiger Reserve have shown how wild ungulates decline in areas where grazing pressures are high. The intricate relationship between various species of flora and fauna is yet to be understood and many a time the actual implications of grazing might even go unnoticed. Plant species composition skews as foraging by domestic animals increases. Livestock voraciously graze on young saplings directly affecting the
(^67) Supra 66 (^68) www.conservationthreates.org (Visited on 4th (^) Sept 2012) (^69) Id
recruitment rate and regeneration of tree and plant species. Livestock Grazers are also one of the important links in human-wildlife conflict, as they often dismantle physical barriers (elephant proof trench, solar fence) meant to prevent wild animals entering crop fields so that they can take livestock into the forests.^70
Very importantly livestock grazing aids in spread of communicable diseases from domestic to wild animals many times causing death of wild ungulates. Heavy grazing increases soil erosion in forest areas.
Livestock grazing in forests become easy prey for wild carnivores, causing conflict and leading to retaliatory killing of large carnivores. This can directly affect their numbers. Livestock not only affects the forage but also water availability especially during dry seasons. Livestock compete with wild animals for scarce water in the forests.^71
3. Increase in Human population:
The increasing human population has also led to an increase in requirements of people. The settlements have also started expanding in urban and rural parts to meet the pace of growing populations. Many settlements have come up near the peripheries of protected areas, encroaching the forest areas and using it for their own benefit.
Humans encroach on clear large areas of protected forest patches for development of agricultural and horticultural lands. They also clear the areas, for monoculture plantations of Areca nut, Teak, etc. Developmental activities - The construction of hydroelectric projects results in submergence of nearby forest lands and fragmentation of habitats. The clearance of lands for mining and industries also leads to breaking of large natural habitats into small patches^72.
3 Habitat fragmentation and shrinkage^73 -
All the aforesaid reasons contribute to fragmentation of large habitats and shrinking sizes of forest patches. This makes that landscape unviable for wild animals as their needs are not fulfilled. As a result of which they wander in nearby areas searching for resources. In case of
(^70) Supra 68 (^71) Id (^72) http://wgbis.ces.iisc.ernet.in/energy/water/paper (Accessed on 12th Oct 2012) Human – Animal Conflicts Further Shrinkage of Habitat and Fragmentation of Animal Corridors will Enhance Human 73 – Animal Conflicts Id
global market for ivory products have continued to fuel the demand for illegal ivory, especially savanna elephants in Central Africa and forest elephants in West Africa.^77
There will always be individuals who do not benefit from protecting elephants, but elephant persistence can be quite advantageous to local communities. However, in attempts to conserve elephants, humans must not be made to feel that their needs are somehow less important than those of the animals being protected.
Of all conflicts between humans and large carnivores, the most challenging involves the African lion. Since no major wildlife African ecosystem is completely fenced, lions attack thousands of livestock throughout the continent each year and lions kill over a hundred people a year in southern Tanzania and northern Mozambique. Of the less than 50,000 lions still in Africa, about a quarter are found in four large well-protected ecosystems (Serengeti, Selous, Okavango/Chobe, Kruger); the rest are exposed to varying degrees of human contact and may not survive until the 22nd century without intensive management.^78
Conflict in Zimbabwe of Lion, Leopard:-
Many areas in Zimbabwe, suffer from livestock attack by Lion/ leopard. Research shows that the villagers experience the negative impact (Domestic livestock attack by Leopard & Lion is severe) particularly from the Gowke communal land, neighboring the Sengwa Wildlife Research Area.^79
2.4.2 Overview of the human – animal conflict in Asia:-
1. China
Asian Elephant Conflict in China
Most people associate China and elephants with the demand for ivory. However, although China only has a small number of elephants it is one of the only range states where numbers are on the rise.
(^77) Blanc, J.J., Thouless, C.R., Hart, J.A., Dublin, H.T., Douglas-Hamilton, I., Craig, G.C. and Barnes, R.F.W.
Manslaughter by Elephants
Each year, Asian elephants directly cause hundreds of human deaths through HEC. Compare this to the human death toll from shark attacks, which is usually under 12 a year, and you get some idea of the scale of the problem. In India alone, recorded deaths from elephants number between 150 and 200 per year. Not all these deaths can be attributed to crop or village raiding. About half are caused by chance encounters in the forest, when humans are not aware of the presence of elephants until it is too late^80.
However, crop and village-raiding deaths are on the increase and barely a week goes by without reports of elephants killing people. It has even been reported in some areas where there is extreme population pressure and habitat shrinkage that elephant herds are becoming noticeably more aggressive towards man.
Elephant‘s death by human
Human Elephant Conflict elephant deaths are on the rise. Irate farmers, terrified villages and even the military and police are reacting to crop depredation and damage to people and settlements by fighting back and killing elephants. Even though the elephant is protected by legislation across Asia, they are increasingly being killed in anger or self defence. Studies by Raman Sukumar in three locations in India suggested that up to 20% of elephant deaths were caused directly by crop defence. These studies took place in 1982 and the situation is thought to have worsened since. In Sri Lanka, it is reported that up to 150 wild elephants are shot or poisoned by farmers every year^81.
Snow Leopard conflict in China -
The snow leopard is the most numerous of China‘s big cats. It inhabits one of the harshest environments on earth, dwelling in the high, cold, barren, mountains of Inner Asia from the Himalaya and the Tibetan Plateau to the Pamirs, Tian Shan, Altai and the mountain ranges of the Gobi Desert and central Mongolia. The major threat is increasing due to human population pressure on the grasslands and pastures of the Tibetan Plateau and the high mountain valleys of Xinjiang.^82
In addition, snow leopards are also at risk from poachers, who can sell their skins for upwards of several thousand dollars in the large booming cities of eastern China. Snow leopard bones
(^80) Manslaughter by Elephants , www.eleaid.com (Visited on 5th (^) Sept 2012) (^81) Elephants death by human, www.eleaid.com (Visited on 5th (^) Sept 2012) (^82) http://en.wwfchina.org/en/what we do/species/fs/snow leopard/ (Accessed on 5-Feb -2013)
Conflict with wildlife may be due to the abnormal behavior of wild animals like aggressiveness of monkey, cattle lifting by carnivore, injury by bears during Mahua season etc.
Development of people is always welcome but not at the cost of negative ecological aspect in the ecosystem.
Development activities cause more interference in forest and also the privacy of wildlife and these ultimately cause conflict with wildlife. Man-animal conflict often takes place when wild animals cause damage to agricultural crop and property, killing of livestock and human beings. Human population growth, land use transformation, species loss of habitat, eco- tourism, too much access to reserves, increase in livestock population bordering the forest, depletion of natural prey base etc., often stated to be reasons for such conflict. Central Govt. the State Governments, and the Union Territories should evolve better preservation strategies, in consultation with Wildlife Boards so that such conflicts can be avoided to a large extent. Participation of people who are staying in the Community Reserves is also of extreme importance.
Environmental justice could be achieved only if we drift away from the principle like sustainable development; polluter pays principle, precautionary principles which are based in the interest of humans and environment. 86
Ecocentrism is nature centred where humans are part of nature and non-human has intrinsic value. In other words, human interest does not take automatic precedence and humans have obligations to non-humans independently of human interest. Ecocentrism is therefore life- centered, nature-centered where nature includes both human and non-humans^87.
The conflict between animal and human can be reduced by following steps-
It is duty of Ministry of Environment & Forest to Prove assistance to State Governments for improvement of habitat to augment food and water availability and to minimize the animal movement from the forests to the habitations.
(^86) http://www.greentribunal.in/orderinpdf/38-2011 (App)_7Sept2012_final_order.pdf (Accessed on 02-Oct-
To address the problems of human- wildlife conflict it is essential to train the police offices and local people. It is duty of forest department to frame the guidelines for management of human-leopard conflict & publish the same in the local community.
To sensitize the people about the Do‘s and Don‘ts to minimize conflicts it necessary to aware the local people.
Providing technical and financial support for development of necessary infrastructure and support facilities for immobilization of problematic animals through tranquilization, their translocation to the rescue centers or release back to the natural habitats.
Providing assistance to State Governments for construction of boundary walls and solar fences around the sensitive areas to prevent the wild animal attacks.
Providing assistance to the State Governments for eco-development activities in villages around Protected Areas to elicit cooperation of local community in management of the Protected Areas.
Some devices of Information Technology, viz., radio collars with Very High Frequency, Global Positioning System and Satellite uplink facilities, are being used by the research institutions including Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, State Forest Departments and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to monitor the movement of Lions, Tigers, Elephants, Olive Ridley Turtles, and other wild animals to understand their movements and their use pattern of the habitat^88.
(^88) Man-Animal conflict in India, Ministry f Environment and forest,23rd (^) Sept 2011
The Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 was passed after wildlife was moved to the concurrent list after the Forty Second Constitutional Amendment was passed. By the 1991 amendment the Wildlife Act was extended to whole of India except for Jammu and Kashmir wish had its own law regarding the subject, which is similar to the national law.
The wildlife protection act provides for setting up of Advisory Boards^91 and the appointment of Wardens and other members to implement the Act.^92 In several states, the office of the Chief Wildlife Warden and the Chief Conservator of Forests is united in a single post and the responsibilities under both statutes are discharged by the same person. Except under specific conditions^93 , the act prohibits hunting the wild animals listed in schedule I, II, III, and IV.^94 Under the Act; the State Government may declare any area of adequate ‗ecological, faunal, floral, geomorphologic, natural or zoological significance‘ a sanctuary^95 or a national park.^96 In both sanctuaries and national parks public entry is restricted^97 and destruction of any wildlife or habitat is prohibited.^98 The court has also gone to the extent of upholding restrictions on the plying of vehicles in the sanctuary. in the case of Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation v Field Director(Project Tiger)^99_._ In theory, national parks enjoy a greater degree of protection than the sanctuaries. For example, the grazing of livestock is prohibited within a national park,^100 but permissible in a sanctuary^101.
Under the Wildlife protection act, 1972 Killing and capturing of any animal is punishable offence. There are exceptions where hunting is permitted under the Act like for education, research (with the prior permission of Chief Wildlife Warden) & self defence purpose which shows that hunting of wildlife is not totally prohibited. Besides that the Chief Wildlife Warden is permitted to compound the offence under this Act which gives rise to corruption and violated the rights of survival of animals who can‘t speak for their rights.
National parks are set up for preserving flora, fauna, landscapes and historic objects of an area.
(^91) Section 6 of The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. (^92) Section 3 and 4 The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. (^93) Section 11 and 12 The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. (^94) Section 7 The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. (^95) Section 18 The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. (^96) Section 35 The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. (^97) Section 27 and 35(8) The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. (^98) Section 29 and 35(6) The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. (^99) AIR 2000 Mad 163 The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. (^100) Section 35(7) The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. (^101) Section 29 and 33(d) The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
At present, protected area network comprises 398 sanctuaries and 69 national parks covering four per cent of the total geographic area of the country. It is proposed to be increased to 4. per cent (1% National Parks and 3.6% sanctuaries) by setting up more sanctuaries and parks.^102
By the 1991 amendment, specified plants were brought under the protective umbrella of the Act.^103 It also provided for establishments of a central zoo authority to regulate the management and functioning of zoos.^104 The boundaries of sanctuaries and national parks may not be altered except by a resolution of the State Legislature. The Act regulates trade and commerce in wild animals, trophies^105 and derivatives from certain animals.^106 Any violations of the provisions of the Act attract imprisonments and fines, patterned on similar provisions in the Air and Water Acts.
It is after the Wildlife Protection Act came into existence in 1972, a very successful project was launched in 1973-74, Project Tiger. In recent times Project Tiger is one of step to conserve wild tigers in India. It helps to sustain the population of tigers in natural environment.^107 At the IUCN General Assembly meeting in Delhi, in 1969, serious concern was voiced about the threat to several species of wildlife and the shrinkage of wilderness in the country. In 1970, a national ban on tiger hunting was imposed and in 1972 the Wildlife Protection Act came into force. The project was launched in 1973, and various tiger reserves were created in the country on a 'core-buffer' strategy. The core areas were freed from all sorts of human activities and the buffer areas were subjected to 'conservation oriented land use'.^108
It seems as if the Act has been enacted just as fallout of Stockholm conference held in 1972 and it has not included any locally evolved conservation measures.^109
The Ownership Certificate for animal articles (tiger, leopard skins etc.) are permissible which very often serve as a tool for illegal trading.
The wildlife traders in Jammu and Kashmir easily get illegal furs and skins from other States which after making caps, belt etc. are sold or smuggled to other countries. This is so because J & K has its own Wild Life Act. Moreover, hunting and trading of several endangered species
(^102) http://www.envfor.nic.in (Accessed on 24th (^) Dec 2012) P- 117 (^103) Chapter III A The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. (^104) Chapter IV A The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. (^105) Chapter V The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. (^106) Chapter V A The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. (^107) http://projecttiger.nic.in (Accessed on 23rd (^) March 2013) (^108) Panda Kothari, Management of National Parks and Sanctuaries in India: A Status Report, (1989) , pg. (^109) Kaushik Anubha , Perspectives in Environmental Studies ,(2006) p- 204
Project Tiger is undisputedly a custodian of major gene pool. It is also a repository of some of the most valuable ecosystem and habitats for wildlife.^111
Objectives
i) To ensure the stability in population of tiger in India for economic, ecological, scientific, aesthetic, and cultural values.
ii) To protect and improve the areas of biological and natural importance as a natural heritage for the research, enjoyment (Tourism) and, education of the people.
iii) The main object of scheme is aware local people so that they can contribute to maintain & conserve the wild tiger.
iv) Elimination of all forms of human exploitation and disturbance from the core and rationalization of such activities in the buffer.
v) Limitation of the habitat management to repair damage done by man.
vi) Researching facts about habitat and wild animals and carefully monitoring changes in flora and fauna.^112
b) Project Elephant Division
Elephant being wide ranging animal requires large areas. As per our mythology, elephant took birth from celestial waters and thus are closely associated with rains / water because of the belief. The requirement of food and water for elephants are very high and therefore their population can be supported only by forests that are under optimal conditions. The status of elephant can be the best indicator of the status of the forests. Asian elephants were believed to be widely distributed – from Tigris – Euphrates in West Asia eastward through Persia into the Indian sub-continent , South and Southeast Asia including Sri Lanka , Java , Sumatra , Borneo and up to North China. However currently they are confined to Indian Subcontinent, South East Asia and some Asian Islands - Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Malaysia. About half of the Asian elephant population is in India^113.
However current distribution of wild elephant in India is confined to South India; North East including North West Bengal; Central Indian states of Orissa, South WB and Jharkhand; and North West India in Uttarakhand and UP.
(^111) http://projecttiger.nic.in/introduction.htm (Accessed on 23rd Dec 2012) (^112) Supra 109 (^113) Ministry of Environment & Forests, (Project Elephant) http://moef.nic.in (accessed on 26th (^) Dec 2012)
The main threats to elephant populations arise from the conflict for land, food and water with the people and their livestock and the main thrust of the Project is, therefore, on mitigation of man-elephant conflict and habitat enrichment. The number of human beings killed in encounters with elephants in and around the elephant inhabited forest areas was reported to be 384 during the year 2002-2003.^114 Project Elephant (PE) was launched by the Government of India in the year 1992 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with following objectives:
iii. Research on Elephant management related issues;
iv. Public education and awareness programmes; v. Eco-development vi. Veterinary care^115
(^114) Id (^115) Supra 113
The National Wildlife Action Plan 1983
The National Wildlife Action Plan is intended to provide adequate protection to wildlife in multiple use areas such as Government forests outside Protected Areas, various Community Conserved Areas like sacred groves, community and panchayat forests, identified private forests such as interspersed forests in tea, coffee and cardamom gardens and other protection landscapes, farm lands, wastelands, wetlands, coastal habitats, heronries, wintering wetlands of birds, catchment forests, turtle nesting sites, pastures for livestock and wild herbivore, deserve ecosystems etc.
Overview of National Wild life Action Plan
Biodiversity conservation has become a focus of interest of National Wildlife Action Plan.
The term wildlife encompasses all uncultivated flora and undomesticated fauna. Every species has the right to live and every threatened species must be protected to prevent its extinction.
India ranks sixth among the 12-mega biodiversity countries of the world. Conservation of biodiversity is directly linked with conservation of ecosystems and thus with water and food security. These together constitute a major plank of Indian economy
Habitat loss caused by developmental projects such as dams, mines, and etc. compound the problems of wildlife conservation. 118
The constraining impact of habitat loss has been compounded by illegal trade fuelled by a rising demand of wildlife products and their lucrative prices in the international market^119.
Policy Imperatives
a. Ecological Security: To protect the long-term ecological security of India, the national development agenda must recognize the imperative of identifying and protecting natural ecosystems from over-exploitation, contamination and degradation. Short-term economic gains must not be permitted to undermine ecological security.
b. Priority to Conservation: Assigning conservation a high priority both at the level of central and state governments is an imperative. Its integration in all development
(^118) The National Wildlife Action Plan 1983 (^119) The National Wildlife Action Plan 1983
programmes, evolving appropriate funding mechanism, enhancement of financial allocations and provision of adequate personnel with requisite expertise has to be ensured, to arrest the ongoing trend of degradation and to restore wildlife and its habitat.
c. National Land Use Policy: The NWAP cannot be executed in isolation. Wildlife conservation cannot be restricted to national parks and sanctuaries. Areas outside the protected area network are often vital ecological corridor links and must be protected to prevent isolation of fragments of biodiversity, which will not survive in the long run. Land and water use policies will need to accept the imperative of strictly protecting ecologically fragile habitats and regulating use elsewhere.
d. Primacy for Water and Sustenance: Water must be recognized as a prime produce of natural forests. Forests must be managed to optimize and protect hydrological systems. The National Forest Policy of 1988, which emphasizes conserving our natural heritage in the form of natural forests, flora and fauna, is in consonance with this imperative.
e. Peoples’ Support for Wildlife: Local communities traditionally depend on natural biomass and they must, therefore, have the first lien on such resources. Such benefits must be subject to assumption of a basic responsibility to protect and conserve these resources by suitably modifying unsustainable activities. Conservation programmes must attempt to reconcile livelihood security with wildlife protection through creative zonation and by adding new Protected Area (PA) categories in consultation with local communities, such as an inviolate core, conservation buffer, community buffer and multiple use areas.
f. Man-Animal Conflict: While increasing man-animal conflict is an outcome of shrinkage, fragmentation and deterioration of habitats, it has caused destruction of wildlife and generated animosity against wild animals and protected areas. This is a crucial management issue, which needs to be addressed through innovative approaches.
Wildlife conservation encompasses all human activities and efforts directed to preserve wild animals from extinction. It involves both protection and scientific management of wild species and their environment. Some species have become extinct due to natural causes, but the greatest danger to wildlife results from the activities of man.^120
So we ourselves have created the need for conservation of wildlife. It can be viewed from several angles such as, beauty, economic value, scientific values for research and values for
(^120) Joseph, Wild Life Conservation in India , http://www.preservearticles.com (Accessed on 17th (^) Jan 2013)