While the government remains committed to preserving the ecosystem, its absolute priority is to protect human life and property, Forest Minister Shibu Baby John said here on Saturday.

Speaking at a Meet the Press programme at Kollam Press Club, the Minister added that a 100-day programme will be announced on June 5 to address multiple issues including human-wildlife conflict. “To resolve the long-standing conflict and mistrust between the Forest department and forest-fringe residents, the government intends to bridge the divide and transform the department into an accessible agency that works closely with local farmers and communities,” he said.

Pointing to preliminary data, the Minister observed that tiger attacks were not a major issue in regions like the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Thekkady, where only isolated sightings are reported. “However, the situation in Wayanad is far more complex. While the Periyar reserve has around 46 sighted tigers, Wayanad alone houses nearly 100 tigers within our territory, which connects to the broader Muthanga, Mudumalai, and Bandipur landscape that holds around 400 tigers in total. Scientifically, a tiger requires a territory of about 20 square kilometres, a spatial requirement that is met in Periyar. In contrast, the territory size drops drastically to just 4 square kilometers per tiger in Wayanad, which naturally forces them to venture out into human settlements. Statistics also show that the wild elephant population has more than doubled over the last 10 to 15 years,” he said.

Mr. John noted that despite the escalating wildlife crisis, no comprehensive scientific study has yet been conducted to evaluate the changing ecosystem of forests. “An authoritative assessment of the landscape’s carrying capacity is urgently required to understand why wildlife is increasingly spilling into human settlements,” he said.

The Minister also pointed out that nearly 50,000 wild boars are currently outside forest boundaries, presenting the single largest threat to farmers and their crops. “While previous attempts were made to have the Central government declare wild boars as vermin, permission has not yet been granted. I recently met with the Governor to explore ways to secure this Central clearance. Even if that approval is delayed, a specific alternative strategy has already been drawn up within our action plan to tackle the wild boar menace,” he said.

Elephant attack

Referring to the tragic incident where a 65-year-old man was killed in a wild elephant attack near Athirappilly on Saturday, the Minister said that the elephant’s presence had been reported in the area for over five days. He stated that failing to prevent a fatal accident despite having five days of prior warnings is being viewed with utmost seriousness.

“I have demanded a comprehensive report analysing all wildlife-related fatalities over the past six months to identify instances of human failure and negligence, specifically looking into whether these tragic deaths could have been avoided with timely administrative action,” he said.