Union Minister releases 14 guidelines for Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation promoting harmonious coexistence between humans and wildlife

Source: The post is based on the article “Union Minister releases 14 guidelines for Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation promoting harmonious coexistence between humans and wildlife” published in PIB on 21st March 2023

What is the News?

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has released 14 guidelines to address Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC).

What is Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC)?

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What are the guidelines issued for Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation?

The guidelines have been developed under the Indo-German cooperation project on HWC Mitigation. 

The guidelines are advisory in nature. A review of these guidelines is planned to take place every five years from 2023 onwards.

Objectives of the guidelines: 1) To facilitate a common understanding of effective and efficient mitigation of HWC among key stakeholders, 2) To facilitate the development of site-specific HWC mitigation measures.

Key Features of the guidelines: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has released 14 guidelines. Among them:

10 are species-specific guidelines: Guidelines for Mitigating Human-Elephant, -Gaur, -Leopard, -Snake, -Crocodile, -Rhesus Macaque, -Wild Pig, -Bear, -Blue Bull and -Blackbuck Conflict and

4 are guidelines on cross-cutting issues:

– Guidelines for Cooperation between the Forest and Media sector in India: Towards effective communication on Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation.

– Occupational Health and Safety in the Context of Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation.

– Crowd Management in Human-Wildlife Conflict-Related Situations.

– Addressing Health Emergencies and Potential Health Risks Arising Out of Human—Wildlife Conflict Situations: Taking a One Health Approach.