Forest and Wildlife Minister Shibu Baby John has announced that the government will prepare a comprehensive action plan to address the growing human-wildlife conflict in the State, with special focus on forest fringe areas facing frequent animal intrusions.

Addressing a review meeting convened at Konni to assess the challenges faced by the forest regions of Konni and Ranni and explore possible solutions, the Minister said the proposed plan would focus on three key aspects of ensuring wild animals remain within forest habitats, minimising risks when they enter human settlements, and providing timely compensation to affected people.

The government will assess the availability of food and water resources inside forests to prevent animals from moving into human habitations in search of sustenance. Along with strengthening existing preventive measures such as trenches, solar fencing, and hanging fences, scientific studies will be conducted to develop more effective strategies to reduce conflict.

Prompt compensation

The Minister said wild animals entering human settlements would be safely driven back without endangering people. He also assured that steps would be taken to ensure prompt compensation for victims of wildlife attacks and farmers who suffer crop losses. The government would explore increasing compensation amounts after discussions with the Chief Minister, he added.

A proposal to introduce insurance coverage for crop losses is also under consideration. The scheme would be implemented in association with public sector insurance companies, ensuring affordable premium rates for farmers, he said.

The Minister also announced plans to divide Kerala’s forest regions into 12 zones based on the intensity of human-wildlife conflict, with separate action plans being prepared for each zone. Issues such as crop destruction caused by wild boars will be taken up during discussions with the Union Forest Minister. As part of efforts to control the wild boar menace, more shooters will be deployed and a common pool of registered shooters will be created to ensure their availability during operations.

A special three-month drive will also be launched to reduce the threat posed by wild boars straying into farmlands and settlements in forest fringe areas. If local bodies lack sufficient shooters, personnel would be arranged from neighbouring areas, the Minister said.

The government will also work with the Agriculture department to collect and store jackfruits, which attract wild elephants to human settlements, before the next fruiting season. Farmers near forest boundaries will be offered a fair price for jackfruits harvested before ripening, helping reduce elephant incursions.

₹192 crore allocated

The number of rapid response teams under the Forest department will be increased, while ₹192 crore has been allocated in the current financial year for activities aimed at preventing human-wildlife conflict. Agencies that fail to complete Forest department projects within the stipulated time will be removed, the Minister said.

A workshop will be organised in Thiruvananthapuram next month for elected representatives of local bodies located along forest fringes. Their suggestions would be considered while preparing future projects, he added.

The Minister’s visit to the district followed an urgent attention motion raised in the Legislative Assembly by Ranni legislator Pazhakulum Madhu, seeking immediate intervention to address the escalating human-wildlife conflict in the region.