No forests or animals will be left if human-wildlife conflicts continue

• The Supreme Court while hearing a case concerning the demarcation of the boundaries of the Pobitora wildlife sanctuary warned human-wildlife conflicts pose a danger to the existence of forests and wildlife.

Highlights:

• The Supreme Court stated, to conserve forest there needs to be a balance between the rights of human and wildlife.
• The observations came while hearing a case concerning the demarcation of the boundaries of Assam’s Pobitora wildlife sanctuary and the settlement of rights of villagers who reside within the sanctuary.
• The Bench said the State’s proposals regarding the sanctuary would be cleared by the National Board of Wildlife and also undergo the scrutiny of the Supreme Court.
  • The court ordered the States to include the Chief Wildlife Warden and the Field Director of the Pobitora wildlife sanctuary to be made members of the special committee to represent the concerns of the wildlife.
• The court noted in its order that “from the prima facie perusal of the map, it appears that the State proposes to delete smaller areas of the wildlife sanctuary and include a larger area so as to account for the land of the settlers and also the issue of the growing population of rhinoceros”.
• Last month the Supreme Court also stayed Assam government’s decision to denotify the Pobitora wildlife sanctuary.

Impacts of Human-wildlife conflict:

• Financial losses to humans along with threats to health and safety. Livelihoods, food security and property are also affected.
• Increase in road and railway infrastructure increases the chances of accidental death of animals.
• Habitat loss and Fragmentation of animals which leads to biodiversity loss or extinction.

Prelims Takeaways:

• Pobitora wildlife sanctuary
• Human wildlife conflict