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Kerala’s rising human-wildlife conflicts are the result of the state forest department’s significant failures in protecting and maintaining wildlife habitats, according to the latest audit report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India.
The analysis, presented in the ongoing Kerala assembly session, criticised three major development projects as reasons for the state’s escalating human-wildlife conflicts.
The development of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)’s permanent campus in Kerala’s Palakkad has increased human-wildlife conflicts in the adjacent Walyar forest region, with wild elephants suffering the most severe consequences, the report stated.
Notably, the 500 acres allocated for the IIT included 18.14 hectares of vested forest land. Elephants roamed around in this area, a part of the Nilambur elephant reserve.
The report stated that the forest department neglected to alert the government to the potential for large-scale human-wildlife conflicts after the wildlife-rich forest land was selected as the site for the IIT campus.
Other projects criticised by the CAG include the construction of an airstrip for the National Cadet Corps (NCC) near the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Idukki and allocating land in the defunct Aralam farm to hundreds of landless tribals.
The report noted that the NCC airstrip was only 630 metres from the boundaries of the PTR, a significant conservation area. It further emphasised that the Aralam farm borders a wildlife sanctuary, making the individuals granted land there vulnerable to interactions with elephants and tigers.
It stressed the department’s negligence in promptly informing the government about the danger of a lack of conservation and its negative impact on wildlife.
The audit report covered the period from 2017-18 to 2021-22.
The document made it clear that the department’s inability to stop the use of forest land for non-forest purposes, protect wildlife habitats from encroachments and unplanned development projects, and maintain wildlife habitats by securing elephant corridors, getting rid of invasive species, and making sure there is enough food and water are major causes of conflicts between people and wildlife in Kerala.
The department’s records classify 11,524.91 sq km, or about 29.66 per cent of Kerala’s total area (38,863 sq km), as forest.
However, the CAG report revealed that non-forest purposes had diverted 21.81 per cent (2,513.53 sq km) of this land, rendering it unsuitable for wildlife.
Of these diversions, monoculture plantations accounted for 1562.04 sq km, while land leased to the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), plantations under public sector undertakings, and private ownership constituted 514.90 sq km.
The CAG noted that the forest department has not conducted any studies on the carrying capacity of the state’s wildlife habitats.
These studies determine the maximum number of animals a habitat can support based on available resources like food, water, and shelter. Without this information, wildlife officials cannot manage animal populations effectively.
According to the audit, 445 human deaths occurred in Kerala from 2017-18 to 2020-21 due to human-wildlife conflicts.
During this period, Kerala reported 3,298 human injuries resulting from such incidents. Human-wildlife conflicts resulted in the loss of 1,630 cattle and the filing of 24,425 crop loss or damage applications.
The report noted that wild boar attacks came in second place, accounting for the second-highest number of human-wildlife conflict incidents between 2017 and 2021 and the deaths of 78 people.
Wayanad had the highest number of human-wildlife conflict claims during the audit period in Kerala.
Forest land in the Wayanad district decreased from 1,811.35 sq km in 1950 to 863.86 sq km in 2021, according to the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary’s management plan. The once-continuous vegetation cover has fragmented due to the loss of 947.49 sq km of forest land to plantation and cultivation.
The report also highlighted the lack of control over private electric fences, which can impact wildlife movement and disrupt established animal corridors. The forest department acknowledged the problem and said it needed a comprehensive strategy to address human-wildlife conflicts.
The CAG recommended that the forest department take measures to evict and prevent encroachments, restore natural forests by removing monoculture plantations, relocate forest settlements, and avoid forest fragmentation and degradation.
The auditor also emphasised the need for coordination with various stakeholders to reduce human-wildlife conflicts.
Kerala forest minister A K Saseendran told Down to Earth that the department would conduct a thorough study of the report and undertake possible corrective measures.