Coimbatore: Over the past ten years, human-wildlife conflicts in Tamil Nadu have resulted in the deaths of 685 people, including 43 fatalities reported last year alone. Senior forest department officials have warned that technology and strict measures alone cannot resolve this growing crisis; active community participation is essential.
D. Venkatesh, Chief Conservator of Forests and Regional Director of Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), emphasized that reducing conflicts between humans and wildlife is impossible without the active involvement of local communities living near forest edges.
The Tamil Nadu Forest Department organised a seminar on human-wildlife conflict mitigation on Wednesday at the Central Academy for State Forest Services in Coimbatore. The event was attended by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force (HOFF) Srinivas R. Reddy, along with forest officials from Coimbatore, Hosur, Sathyamangalam, Nilgiris, Dindigul, Kodaikanal, and Tenkasi. The seminar focused on strategies for collaborative coexistence between humans and wildlife.
Venkatesh pointed out that districts along the Western Ghats such as Tenkasi, Virudhunagar, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Theni, Salem, Dharmapuri, and Krishnagiri have witnessed a higher frequency of human-wildlife encounters.
Explaining the ecological causes behind the escalating conflicts, he said many forest areas that appear lush are actually turning into “green deserts” due to the spread of invasive plant species, which fail to support local wildlife.
This degradation has disrupted traditional wildlife movement routes, leading to increased clashes with humans. Venkatesh noted that elephants, previously mostly confined to the Berijam area of Kodaikanal, are now being sighted beyond district boundaries in Dindigul, indicating altered migration patterns caused by habitat loss and fragmentation.
Major contributing factors include land encroachment on forest areas, converting dirt roads crossing animal paths into paved roads, and expansion of cash crop cultivation near forest boundaries.
The statement highlighted that most deaths occur during sudden encounters, but disturbances caused by human activities have intensified the frequency and severity of such conflicts.
The 685 fatalities recorded in the last decade across the state underline the critical nature of this challenge.
The forest department has been taking continuous steps to gradually reduce conflicts, including deploying artificial intelligence-based monitoring systems to track elephants in real time and provide early warnings to vulnerable villages.
However, officials stressed that these measures will only be effective if communities cooperate, adhere to guidelines, and support long-term habitat protection efforts.
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