NEW DELHI: Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupendra Yadav on Friday proposed the establishment of a Centre of Excellence dedicated to human-wildlife conflict management. The aim is to mitigate these conflicts and ensure a balance between wildlife and communities that depend on forest resources.Yadav stated, “We should find amicable solutions through advanced technologies, including AI, for the management of human-wildlife conflict and the establishment of a Centre of Excellence at Wildlife Institute of India-Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History WII-SACON.” Yadav underlined the need for periodic awareness campaigns to sensitise, guide, and advise the general public on human-wildlife conflict.To address human-wildlife conflict, the ministry issued an advisory in February 2021, followed by guidelines to states and Union Territories in June 2022. The advisory recommends coordinated interdepartmental action, identification of conflict hotspots, adherence to Standard Operating Procedures, and establishment of rapid response teams. Besides, a committee at the state and district levels was formed to expedite review of the demand for compensation or relief to aggrieved parties.
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