**Executive Summary**
This document provides the answer to Unstarred Question No. 1221 in Lok Sabha regarding Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) hotspots, to be answered on December 8, 2025. It outlines measures taken by the government and State of Kerala to mitigate HWC, including identifying hotspots, deploying rapid response teams, and implementing early warning systems. The document also references a State declaration of HWC as a "State-Specific Disaster" and provides a list of 30 identified HWC hotspots.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Human-Wildlife Conflict Management:**
* Management of wildlife and HWC mitigation is primarily the responsibility of the State Government/Union Territory Administration.
* The State Government/Union Territory Administration is the first responder in HWC situations.
* **Kerala Specific Measures:**
* Kerala declared Human-Wildlife Conflicts as a "State-Specific Disaster" on March 7, 2024, vide GO(Ms.) No. 4/2024/DMD, for effective management with inter-departmental efforts.
* 271 Panchayaths / Municipalities in 12 Landscapes were identified as HWC areas in 2024.
* 30 Panchayaths/Municipalities have been identified as HWC hotspots, as listed in Annexure-I.
* Three Rapid Response Teams have been deployed in Wayanad Lok Sabha Constituency.
* Satellite RRTs deployed at Kalpetta and Meppadi (Wayanad District) in addition to Sulthan Bathery, Mananthavady and Nilambur.
* AI-powered Perimeter Intrusion Detection System and Early Warning System (smart-fencing) has been installed in Periya Range, utilizing Distributed Acoustic Sensing technology, drone and thermal camera-based monitoring.
* **Inter-State Coordination:**
* Inter-State Coordination Committee formed among Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka to monitor wildlife crossing borders and share information.
* Minister and Secretary level meetings conducted, and an MoU for cooperation and information exchange signed on March 10, 2024, in Bandipur, Karnataka.
* **Government Measures:**
* The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, amended to give statutory status to management plans of Protected Areas, ensuring Gram Sabha consultations.
* The Act empowers State Chief Wild Life Wardens to grant permits for hunting dangerous animals.
* A network of National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Conservation Reserves, and Community Reserves established.
* Advisories and guidelines on dealing with human-wildlife conflict issued to States/UTs.
* Focused conservation support provided for 24 critically endangered species.
* Financial assistance extended for conflict mitigation measures, including early warning systems and compensation.
* Ex-gratia relief for death or permanent incapacitation increased to ₹10 lakh in December 2023.
* Advanced technologies, including radio-collaring, are used in conflict mitigation.
* Support for awareness generation, training, and capacity-building programmes.
* A Centre of Excellence for Human-Wildlife Conflict Management has been established at SACON, Coimbatore.
* 32 major tiger corridors and 150 elephant corridors identified, and Regional Action Plans being prepared.
**Impact Analysis**
**State Government/Union Territory Administration**
* **Impact:** Primary responsibility for managing wildlife, addressing human-animal conflicts and responding to HWC situations.
* **Action Required:** Implement mitigation activities, deploy Rapid Response Teams, and utilize advanced technologies for conflict mitigation.
**Residents of Kerala (Specifically Wayanad Lok Sabha Constituency)**
* **Impact:** Affected by HWC, including threats to life, livestock, and property.
* **Action Required:** Be aware of early warning systems and rapid response teams, follow safety guidelines, and cooperate with Forest Departments for vigilance and public sensitization.
**States of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka**
* **Impact:** Shared responsibility for managing wildlife crossing state borders.
* **Action Required:** Participate in Inter-State Coordination Committee meetings and information exchange to effectively manage human-wildlife conflict situations.
**Forest Departments**
* **Impact:** Must work closely with local communities to provide vigilance, early alerts, and conduct public sensitization programs
* **Action Required:** Participate in capacity-building programmes, and training exercises.
Key Entities Referenced
National Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation Strategy and Action Plan (HWC-NAP): A plan to address human-wildlife conflict in India, identifying and mitigating HWC hotspots.
The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972: A key Indian law for wildlife conservation, amended to address HWC and empower authorities in granting hunting permits for dangerous animals.
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change: The central ministry responsible for policies and programs related to environment and wildlife, including HWC mitigation.
Kerala: The state where Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) hotspots were identified.
Inter-State Coordination Committee: Committee formed among Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to monitor wildlife crossing state borders, sharing information, and to effectively manage human-wildlife conflict situations.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1221
TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.12.2025
Human-Wildlife Conflict Hotspots
1221. SMT. PRIYANKA GANDHI VADRA:
Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:
(a) the details of Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) hotspots identified in the State of Kerala
under National Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation Strategy and Action Plan (HWC-
NAP) district-wise;
(b) whether the Government has taken measures to mitigate conflict in the hotspots;
(c) the details of the Early Warning and Rapid Response System established at HWC
hotspots in Wayanad Lok Sabha Constituency, including technologies deployed and
ground-based alert mechanisms;
(d) whether additional financial or technical assistance is being provided to the States facing
high HWC, particularly in critical landscapes like Wayanad, if so, the details thereof;
(e) whether the Government is developing any new or upgraded early warning systems for
detection and mitigation of HWC, and if so, the details thereof along with pilot projects
and timelines for implementation; and
(f) the steps taken by the Government to ensure real-time data sharing and coordination
between neighbouring States for the management of wildlife corridors and movement
across administrative boundaries, especially in Wayanad Lok Sabha Constituency?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE
CHANGE
(SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)
(a) to (f) The management of wildlife including mitigation of human-animal conflicts is
primarily the responsibility of the concerned State Government/Union Territory Administration.
The State Government/Union Territory Administration is the first responder in Human Wildlife
Conflict situations.
As per the information received from the State Government of Kerala, Human-Wildlife Conflicts
has been declared as a “State- Specific Disaster” in Kerala vide GO(Ms.) No. 4/2024/DMD dated
07/03/2024 for effective management of mitigation activities with inter-departmental efforts.
Accordingly, in 2024 itself, 271 Panchayaths / Municipalities in 12 Landscapes have been
identified as Human-Wildlife Conflict areas. Among these Panchayaths/ Municipalities, 30 have
been identified as HWC hotspots. The list of these 30 hotspots are placed at Annexure-I.
As per the information received from the state three Rapid Response Teams have been deployed
in Wayanad Lok Sabha Constituency to mitigate Human-Wildlife Conflicts in the area viz.,Sulthan Bathery (Wayanad District), Mananthavady (Wayanad District) and Nilambur
(Malappuram District). In addition to this, Satellite RRTs are also deployed at Kalpetta and
Meppadi (Wayanad District). In Periya Range of North Wayanad Division, AI powered
Perimeter Intrusion Detection System and Early Warning System (smart-fencing) has been
installed on an experimental basis, which is found effective. The innovative system utilizes
Distributed Acoustic Sensing technology, wherein an optical fiber network (stretched over 10
km) detects vibrations caused by moving wildlife. Drone and thermal camera based monitoring
and early detection systems are also deployed in the forest areas, with special emphasis to the
HWC hot-spots. To monitor wildlife crossing state borders and sharing information, and to
effectively manage human-wildlife conflict situations, Inter-State Coordination Committee has
been formed among the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Minister level meetings and
Secretary level meetings of the Inter-State Coordination Committee were conducted during 2024
and MoU for cooperation and information exchange has been signed between Kerala, Tamil
Nadu and Karnataka on 10.03.2024 at Bandipur, Karnataka.
Further, the Government has undertaken several key measures to address human–wildlife
conflict.
(i) The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 has been amended to accord statutory status to
management plans of Protected Areas, ensuring Gram Sabha consultations.
(ii) The Section 11 (1) (a) of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, empowers the State
Chief Wild Life Wardens to grant permits for hunting animals falling in Schedule I
of the Act, which become dangerous to human life. Further, the Section 11 (1) (b) of
the Act empowers State Chief Wild Life Warden or any authorized officer to grant
permits for hunting of wild animals falling under Schedule-II of the Act, if such
animals have become dangerous to human life or property.
(iii) A robust network of National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Conservation Reserves and
Community Reserves has been established across the country for habitat protection
under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
(iv) An advisory on dealing with human-wildlife conflict has been issued by the Ministry
on 6th February, 2021. The Ministry has also issued Guidelines to States/UTs on 3rd
June 2022 to manage Human Wildlife conflict. Species-specific mitigation guidelines
for key conflict-prone species, as well as cross-cutting advisories on media
engagement, occupational safety, crowd management and emergency response, have
also been issued, along with a Field Manual on Human–Elephant Conflict
Management and Guidelines on eco-friendly measures for linear infrastructure.
(v) Focused conservation support is provided for 24 critically endangered species under
the Species Recovery Programme under the scheme ‘Development of Wildlife
Habitats’.
(vi) Financial assistance is extended to States/UTs under the schemes ‘Development of
Wildlife Habitats’ and ‘Project Tiger and Elephant’ for conflict mitigation measures
such as early warning systems, physical barriers, compensation for loss of life,
livestock and crops, and deployment of Rapid Response Teams. The Ministry
enhanced ex-gratia relief for death or permanent incapacitation from ₹5 lakh to ₹10
lakh in December 2023, with other compensation norms for injuries and property/crop
damage as per State guidelines. Advanced technologies including radio-collaring,
digital sensor walls and e-surveillance are increasingly used in conflict mitigation.(vii) The Ministry also supports States in awareness generation, training and capacity-
building programmes, and Forest Departments work closely with local communities
for vigilance, early alerts and public sensitization. A Centre of Excellence for
Human–Wildlife Conflict Management has been established at SACON, Coimbatore.
(viii) Further, 32 major tiger corridors and 150 elephant corridors have been identified by
NTCA, WII and the Ministry to ensure secure wildlife movement, and Regional
Action Plans are being prepared with States/UTs for long-term conservation and
conflict reduction in these landscapes.
*****Annexure-I
Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a) and (f) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No.
1221 due for reply on 08.12.2025 regarding “Human-Wildlife Conflict Hotspots”
The list of these 30 hotspot Panchayaths / Municipalities are listed below
Sl. Risk Management Name of management
District
No. Category type unit
1 Very High Municipality Mananthavady Wayanad
2 Sulthan Bathery Wayanad
3 Panchayath Kuttampuzha Ernakulam
4 Mankulam Idukki
5 Noolpuzha Wayanad
6 Panamaram Wayanad
7 Thavinhal Wayanad
8 Thirunelly Wayanad
9 Thondernad Wayanad
10 High Panchayath Agali Palakakd
11 Aralam Kannur
12 Ariencavu Kollam
13 Ayyampuzha Ernakulam
14 Kanthalloor Idukki
15 Kelakam Kannur
16 Kodassery Thrissur
17 Koovappady Ernakulam
18 Kottappady Ernakulam
19 Kottiyoor Kannur
20 Kulathupuzha Kollam
21 Meenangadi Wayanad
22 Mullamkolly Wayanad
23 Payyavoor Kannur
24 Peringammala Thiruvananthapuram
25 Pindimana Ernakulam
26 Poothadi Wayanad
27 Pulpally Wayanad
28 Sholayar Palakakd
29 Vellamunda Wayanad
30 Vengoor Ernakulam
*****